How Far we've come
by dirkings
Summary: Details make a difference. What would've happened if Percy had been out sick the day Ms. Dobbs attacked him? What would've happened if there was no one to save Nico and Bianca from the manticore at Westover Hall? When Percy finds a homeless, grieving little boy on the side of the street and takes him in, everything changes.
1. Of Human Bondage

Nico was on the run, and had been for months, ever since his sister's death. He wasn't sure where he was, what day it was or how long he'd been running. He was sitting on the side of the street in an alleyway filled with shadows. It was cold, and all he had was his baggy jacket, but he didn't have anywhere to go. He'd decided that this was better than going back to the orphanage, and he was chased out of anywhere else he tried to stay. Bad luck and pain seemed to follow him everywhere, as did the monsters. Glancing around the dark alleyway, Nico shivered; now wasn't the time to think about that.

He looked down at his rough, grimy hands as he tapped his fingernail on the pavement. The sword a man had given him just after Bianca's...accident, was strapped in his belt at his hip and he had his knees pulled up a bit. He sighed as his stomach growled loudly, as desperate for food as his deathly pale skin was for sun. He was sick; that was for sure. Holding out a hand, he made a small crack in the concrete in front of him. He smiled slightly, proud of himself. He was getting better with his powers. But when he looked up, he found an older boy staring at him in shock and awe.

Oh no.

It was almost midnight, why was there someone else on the streets? Nico couldn't tear his eyes away and his mouth opened, no sound coming out. The crack became bigger and he yelped. HIs hands started shaking as the earth did as the crack widened. He desperately struggled to keep the crack from spreading further, but was unable to undo the damage.

The other boy stared at Nico in surprise, his eyebrows raised and his lips slightly parted. He took a tentative step toward the younger boy and knelt to the ground, his sea green eyes never leaving the other's dark ones.

"S' okay." Percy replied quietly so his voice wouldn't echo around loudly. "No harm done, right?" He rubbed the back of his neck, chewing on his lip as he thought about what to say next.

Nico let out a sigh and nodded. "I-I guess." He looked up at the older boy, and when he locked his eyes on the other's, he got lost in those sparkling green orbs.

"I'm Percy." He said finally. "You don't look so good." Nico breathed out, then blinked a few times and shook his head to clear it.

"N-Nico," he stammered nervously. "I'm Nico." he frowned at Percy's words. "Thanks," he grumbled sarcastically, but wasn't really offended; after all, he probably would've said the same thing if roles were reversed.

"Sorry, that was a bit rude…" Percy apologized, his gaze still resting on the boy- Nico. He was malnourished, and definitely sick. He was, what, eleven? He was too young for this, why was he all alone?

"So...why are you out here all alone, Nico?" Percy asked, keeping his tone neutral. "It's late, you're sick, and there might be… you know… monsters."

Nico just sniffed and looked down, one arm hooking to hold on to his opposite elbow so it was slung protectively across his body. Then he shrugged. "I dunno," he mumbled vaguely, fingers twitching at the dust and dirt on the concrete with grimy, thin fingers. Then he looked up quickly.

Percy knew he was taking a risk, but there was no way Nico was mortal, not with those powers. And if he wasn't, like Percy, surely he would've encountered monsters by now.

"Monsters?" Nico repeated, eyes wide. "You know about the monsters? You can see them?" Nico had never known anyone else besides Bianca who knew about the monsters. "How do you know that?" he asked wearily, ignoring Percy's other questions.

Hearing Nico's reply tugged at Percy's heartstrings.

How long had he been facing the monsters alone?

He glanced around impulsively, even though they were the only people out that night.

"Because… I'm like you. They come after me, sometimes." He spoke quietly, as if he was revealing some deathly secret. Well, technically, he was.

"There's been some close calls, but I've been lucky." Percy was glad it was dark. In the dark, Nico couldn't see him very well. He couldn't see Percy's scars. If he did, Nico might realize that they weren't from claws or fangs.

"I have powers , too." He added. Percy closed his eyes and took a deep breath, focusing his energy. He felt a tugging sensation in his gut. Dirty water from a rain gutter suddenly surged towards Percy, who caught the water in his hands and formed an orb. He brushed off a wave of nausea and gave the wide-eyed Nico a tired smile.

"See?"

"Whoa!" Nico exclaimed excitedly. He quickly drew back when he realized how childish and foolish he sounded. Like he was before Bianca died. Immediately, Nico's shoulders hunched over as his chest screamed in agony. Bianca. Oh, how he missed her. He scolded and told himself not to think about it. About her. He had to be strong. For Bianca.

"Thanks. It's no earthquake, but I make do." Percy smiled warmly at Nico, but the emotion quickly gave way to concern when he noticed the younger boy's sudden change in demeanor. He wondered what this boy had been through to act like this.

"Do you need somewhere to sleep tonight?" Percy's tone grew serious. "I know it's late, but it's supposed to get really cold."  
His mom was working a night shift at one of her jobs, and Gabe had ditched with his stupid poker buddies again. Percy had the apartment to himself, which was why he had been able to go out for a walk.

Percy hadn't had a friend over in ages- actually, he didn't think he'd ever had a friend over, since Gabe moved in, at least. Whenever he saw friends, he would always meet them in front of his house, never inside. He was kind of excited. He always felt more relaxed when Gabe wasn't there, and wondered why he'd never thought about having friends over when he finally had some time to himself… probably because he didn't have many friends, or at least not friends close enough that he would risk his neck like that for them, just for a stupid hang-out.

"My apartment isn't far from here." He offered, turning his attention back to Nico..

Nico looked up at Percy with big eyes. "R-really?" his voice was barely above an awed whisper. Why was this stranger being so nice to him?

Now, Nico knew better than to go home with stranger; Bianca had always warned him otherwise, but this was under different circumstances, Nico decided. This classified as an emergency, right? Nico was cold and sick, and he couldn't just live on the streets forever. It was safer with the other boy than out here. Nico set his jaw, trying to look more mature.

"Uh, yeah. I mean - please. And thank you." He wouldn't ignore Bianca completely on this one. "Sorry."

Percy chuckled lightly.

"No worries." He said, approaching Nico and helping him up, carefully. "Here, let me help you. If you need to lean on me, that's okay." Percy was worried about Nico's condition. When they got to the apartment, he'd be sure to patch Nico up. After all, Percy had plenty of experience with that sort of thing.

Nico blushed slightly as Percy helped him up, and though he tried to do most of it himself, he still found himself leaning against the other. When he stood up, his head rushed and he stumbled, but grabbed onto Percy to steady himself. He quickly let go and mumbled an apology. Percy didn't fail to notice that Nico seemed to have trouble walking properly. He suddenly considered the possibility of internal wounds, and grew more concerned. But he hid his unease and tried to keep his tone steady and light.

"S-so, how far away is your house? And will your parents mind? Will we get in trouble? I don't want to get you in trouble - I'm not worth it, to be honest." Sure, Nico was being overly paranoid, but with his experiences, how could he not be?

"It's just down the block." Percy replied, his eyes scanning the dimly lit street. "And don't worry, my mom's working late, and Gabe…" He stalled, fighting down the feelings of anger, fear, and disgust that always emerged when he thought of the drunkard.

"My step-dad isn't home." Percy continued, his demeanor quickly returning to normal. "I've got the place to myself, and even though it's no palace, it's warm and dry." Percy wished he had a thicker jacket as a bitter wind nearly knocked the pair over. Nico was freezing; he'd have to be sure to get the younger boy a good coat before he left. If he left, that was.

Percy mentally slapped himself: of course Nico would leave. Even though his mom would probably be more than happy to take him in, money was tight. And Gabe wouldn't like it, so Nico would end up on the streets again, or worse…

No, Nico would have to leave in the morning. All Percy could do was patch him up, give him a good meal, and send him on his way.

"Here we are." Percy helped Nico inside, happy that his complex was too cheap for a doorman. If anyone saw Percy with a homeless eleven year old, they'd certainly ask some questions that Percy didn't want to answer.

"I'm two floors up, so it might be- whoa!" Percy broke off as Nico stumbled over the threshold. He managed to catch himself with his free hand so he didn't land on Nico.

The younger boy had hit the ground pretty hard, and when he put a hand to his head dazedly Percy tried to remember what his mom had told him about concussions.

"Nico? Are you with me? Can you see okay? No blurriness?" He gently brushed Nico' s hair from his forehead, hoping there wasn't any blood. Luckily, the skin hadn't broken, but an ugly bruise was already forming.

"Y-yeah," Nico mumbled, blinking his eyes a few times. "Fine. I-I'm fine. Just a little dizzy. I've had worse." Much worse. Nico shivered at the thought. "Just...help me up."

"Yeah, sure.. of course…" Percy ran a hand through his dark hair before helping him up. He was still uneasy about Nico, but it could wait until he was safe in bed.

"Is it okay if I carry you?" He asked. Percy didn't want to make Nico uncomfortable, but judging by how hard it was for Nico to walk at all, he was certain he wouldn't be able to make it up two flights of stairs alone.

Nico almost started to protest. But then he was thinking about Bianca and stopped. He remembered how he used to beg her for piggy-back-rides and climb into her arms all the time. He could really use some comfort right now, too. Not that Percy - or anyone - could ever replace Bianca di Angelo, but…this was different. Percy was different.

Nico hesitated before nodding. "Y-yeah, okay," he said finally with a sigh. He felt like a little kid again with Bianca or his mother as Percy carefully took Nico in his arms, bridal style, and stood. The boy was lighter than Percy had expected; another bad indicator of Nico' s condition.

Quietly, Percy began to make his way up the stairs, hoping he didn't wake any other tenants. But the building was silent; the only noise being Nico's raspy breathing and Percy's careful steps.

When they finally made it to Percy' s apartment, he gently set Nico down and dug his key out of his jeans pocket, unlocking the door and helping Nico into the small apartment.

"My room's through that door. I'm gonna grab a first aid kit and something to eat, okay?" Percy gave Nico a reassuring smile.

Nico nodded and padded into Percy's room, where he waited silently. He looked around curiously. The room was small and a little cramped, and it was clear Percy wasn't the neatest person on the planet. Clothing, magazines, wrappers, and homework were tossed carelessly on the floor, stuffed into corners or under the bed. This definitely wasn't the nicest living space Nico had seen but it was much better than what he'd had before - which was nothing.  
He couldn't stop wondering why Percy was being nice to him and helping him like this. It just didn't make sense. So when Percy returned, Nico asked, "Why are you doing this?"

Percy paused, first aid kit in one hand and a bag of Cheetos in the other. The question was one he hadn't thought to ask himself. Percy sat down on the bed next to Nico, handing him the Cheetos and opening the first aid kit.  
"Well…" He said finally. "My mother taught me to always be kind and compassionate. You were down on your luck; I couldn't leave you."  
Percy remembered when his mother first introduced him to Gabe. He was nine, too young to understand. Two years later, they got married. He had been around Nico's age. He remembered how scared and alone he felt, and meeting Nico… He didn't think any kid should have to be alone. "I know what it feels like, I guess." Percy added, his eyes downcast as he dug out antiseptic and bandages from the kit.

"Your mother sounds nice," Nico said softly, looking down.

Percy smiled fondly. "Yeah, she is." She deserves so much better, he thought to himself. She was too good for this life. He was jarred from his thoughts when Nico spoke the question Percy had hoped he wouldn't ask.,

"What do you mean, you…'know what it feels like'?"

Percy hesitated, the hand holding the bottle of antiseptic freezing in mid-air. "Well…." He didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure it'd be a good idea to tell Nico about Gabe. The poor kid seemed troubled enough already. On the other hand, Percy didn't want to keep secrets from Nico.

Why was that? Percy wondered. Nico was leaving in the morning. They probably wouldn't see each other ever again.

But still, Percy felt like he should tell Nico something. Not a lie, but not the whole truth, either. It would help Nico focus on something other than the pain when Percy cleaned his cuts.  
He gently took Nico's arm, which held several relatively deep cuts, and dipped a cotton ball into the antiseptic.

"Well," He began again. "I was raised by my mom, since my dad died before I was born." Percy began to clean out Nico' s cuts as he spoke. "When I was young, I was alone a lot because my mom had to work hard to support us." Now that the cuts were disinfected, Percy wrapped them in soft white bandages and gauze pads.

"I just don't think any kid should ever have to be alone, that's all." He finished the wounds on Nico's arms and gave him a smile.

Nico nodded sadly. He knew about experiences changing the way you think, much more than any person should.

"Got any more cuts that need attention?" Percy asked.

He did; he had a lot more, actually. But none were too serious, except maybe the ones on his back, but he didn't even want to take off his jacket, much less his shirt. But he had taken off his coat, and now he pulled it back on. "I'm fine," is all he said, quietly.  
Percy had a nagging suspicion that Nico wasn't being honest, but he didn't press it. Instead, he began to clean up the first aid supplies. He glanced up when he heard Nico speak again.

"Thank you. A-a lot." he nodded in thanks and tapped the back of Percy's hand with his forefinger. He didn't know why, he just felt the urge to take it; hold it. But he didn't, and to make sure of that, he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Do you…I-I should go."

"You don't have to." Percy heard himself saying. He glanced up and quickly met Nico's eyes, which looked so exhausted Percy wanted to curl up just looking at the boy. "I mean, the offer to stay the night still stands. It hasn't gotten any warmer, and no offense, but you look like you could use a good night's sleep to get your strength back. I could sleep on the couch, and my mom's shift doesn't end until five in the morning, so you could sleep a few hours and…" Percy realized he was rambling. He snapped his mouth shut, his face flushing.  
"Sorry. If you want to leave, you can."

Nico didn't protest or even agree necessarily, simply accepting that he would stay the night. It's not like he wanted to leave - he did want to stay, he was just afraid. Afraid that he'd get hurt, that this was a trick or that Percy would change his mind halfway through because thiswasn't possible. No one was ever nice to Nico di Angelo.  
"No," he said quickly, not even confirming that he was staying. "I-I mean, it's your house. You should sleep in your own bed. I-I don't want to make things any harder for you, just, like you said, I can't really go back out there and -"

"Hey." Percy said softly, putting a gentle hand on Nico' s shoulder. "It's okay. Really. I'll sleep on the couch, so I can keep an eye on the clock." He reasoned. Percy's room didn't have an alarm clock.  
"Seriously, don't worry about it. It's only one night; it's the least I can do to give you a bed to sleep in."

"But you don't owe me anything," Nico was genuinely confused. "What do you mean 'it's the least you can do?"

Percy rubbed the back of his neck, tilting his head to the side. Technically, that was true. Percy had just met Nico. Why did he feel the need to help Nico so badly?

"I… I'm not sure." He admitted. "I just…" Man, this was hard. Percy wasn't used to talking about his feelings.  
"It's just not fair that you have to go through this." He said finally. "You deserve better."

Nico just sighed and looked down. He used to think that he did deserve better, but now, not so much. Bianca's death was his fault; he shouldn't have let her go off like that. He should've protected her. It was his fault that he was like this - homeless and running from monsters; he was the one that ran away. It was and always was his fault.

"No," he said quietly. "I don't."

Percy frowned slightly, his bright eyes darkening. "I don't think that's true." He said. Nico was just a kid, how could he possibly think that he deserved this life? The way Nico was talking reminded Percy of what Gabe would say.

'If you listened better, I wouldn't have to punish you.'  
'You just had to disobey me, didn't you?'  
'It's your own fault, kid.'

Percy set his jaw and shook his head. "That's definitely not true, Nico." He told him.

Nico just shook his head. It wasn't worth the fight, and he didn't think he could handle one right now. He sighed and rubbed his face wearily. "Fine, but if I am staying. Can I go to bed now?" He probably sounded whiny but he didn't care. He'd act like a real person once he had some food and rest, he decided; for now, he slept.

Percy nodded, deciding to let the topic drop for now. "'Course." He answered. "I'll be right outside if you need anything. G'night." Percy stood and left, closing the door quietly. The fourteen year old dragged himself into the dingy living room and collapsed onto the sofa with a yawn, falling asleep instantly.


	2. Smelly Gabe

A/N: Warnings for psychical abuse in this chapter! If you are triggered by/don't want to read the violence, stop reading at "Percy… where the hell is Sally?!" and resume at "Gabe went out like a light"  
Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Percy was jarred awake by a thud. He sat up, looking blearily around the dark apartment. There was more scratching, as if someone was trying to unlock the door… Percy glanced at the microwave clock, which read 2:30. It was too early for his mom to be home, so that meant…

He heard someone swear in a deep, gravelly voice Percy knew all too well, confirming his fear.

Percy's blood turned to ice. What was Gabe doing back home? He jumped from the couch, bolting to his room where Nico was sleeping. Every time Gabe went out with his friends, every single time, he didn't come back until noon the next day. Why did he have to be here now?!

Percy ran up next to Nico, shaking him awake. Nico whined a bit. He was having a dream about Bianca. They were both younger, and Nico was sitting in Bianca's lap and playing with her braid while she watched two adults arguing. Nico couldn't be bothered to pay much attention and kept tugging in his sister's hair until she smacked his hand away. That's when the woman that was sitting with them, whom Nico did not recognize disappeared, leaving the two alone. A man dressed in black, cloak weaves out of damned souls, watched them silently from across the hall.

"Nico? Nico, please wake up!" Percy's voice was quiet but urgent. "Listen to me, please, there's no time to explain. Something's happened, I need you to hide in my closet, please hurry!"

Nico yelped and sat bolt upright, just as the building collapsed. His eyes were wide, panicked, and terrified, looking around wildly - he couldn't remember where he was. But it slowly came back to him and his shoulders slumped forward.  
"Percy?" He asked quietly, looking up, confused. "W-what-" he interrupted himself with a quick nod as the urgency in Percy's words registered. He didn't question it, having much experience in hiding from things, and ran into the older boy's closet.  
Percy flinched as he heard a small crashing sound. Gabe must have been wasted for it to be so difficult for him to unlock the door, which made the situation all the more confusing. Gabe never drove drunk; he loved his car too much to risk a crash.

"What's going on?" Nico hissed when he heard the crash.

"My step dad came home early." Percy explained quickly, stashing the first aid kit under his bed. "Don't worry, I'll handle it. Just stay here, no matter what."  
Percy heard the lock turn, and his heart skipped a beat.  
"Just don't listen, okay? Cover your ears, sing a song in your head, just don't listen." Percy heard the front door swing open and shut with a thud.

"Damn keyhole…" Came Gabe's rough voice. "Sally?" His speech was slurred, another bad sign. "Sally?! Where are you?"

Percy took a calming breath. "I'll be right back. I promise." He whispered, before slipping out of his room to face Gabe.  
He walked into the living room, every muscle tense. Gabe stood in the kitchen, his shirt stained and a half full bottle of beer clutched in his hand. The drunk man looked up when Percy entered, his ugly face twisting into an uglier scowl.

"Percy… where the hell is Sally?!" Gabe demanded, approaching the fourteen year old menacingly.

"She's still at work." Percy answered, returning Gabe's glare tenfold. "She actually has a job, remember? Unlike you."

He really shouldn't have said that. Gabe struck him across the face, hitting with his whole hand so his watch cut Percy's skin. He staggered before falling to a knee, cheek stinging. The older man kicked him in the stomach, forcing the air out of his lungs with a strangled cry that left Percy doubled over, clutching his stomach.

"I didn't ask for your opinion, smartass." Gabe growled. The burly man lunged forward, grabbing Percy by his shirt and slamming him into the wall. His head lolled from the blow, but Gabe grabbed a fistful of Percy's hair and yanked his head up. He was so close, the alcohol on his breath made Percy nauseous.

Gabe wound up for a punch, his meaty hand clenched into a fist.

"NO!"

Percy turned his head and saw Nico standing in the doorway. Gabe dropped his hand to his side, staring at Nico in confusion.

"Nico, don't-" Percy cut off as Gabe pressed him into the wall again, his vision going fuzzy as he began to lose oxygen.

"Who're you supposed to be?" Gabe snarled.

"Percy!" Nico cried, horrified at the sight of the beaten boy being held against the wall. Then he set his jaw and tried to stand up straighter but the man just laughed at the 11-year-old's attempt to size him up.

"You're gonna have to try harder than that, kid," he snickered and downed another huge gulp of beer. Percy fell to the ground as Gabe lunged for Nico. He gasped for air, fighting through the darkness eating at the corner of his vision. He could hear faint shouting as Nico struggling against his stepdad, He looked up when he heard a crash to see Gabe smash his beer bottle into the side of Nico's head. The eleven-year old was knocked against the wall from the force of the blow before he crumpled to the ground.

As Gabe advanced on Nico, who already had blood streaming down the side of his face, Percy felt anger rush through him, his head pounding in sync with his heart.  
He pushed himself to his feet and launched himself onto Gabe's back, locking his arms around the man's fat neck in a chokehold.

"Leave him alone!" Percy yelled. Gabe stumbled, arms swinging wildly as he tried to shake Percy off.

Suddenly the room darkened even further. Nico stood, his dark eyes filled with rage. Percy dropped to the ground as shadows swarmed Gabe, shrouding the man in darkness.

Nico grabbed Percy's arm, shouting "Run! I can't hold it!"  
Percy was tempted to turn and bolt, but something possessed him to stay. He shook his head and closed his eyes.

"My turn."

Percy pressed his hands outward, and the kitchen sink exploded. Water surged towards Gabe in a wave, crashing into the raging drunkard, knocking him over. Without skipping a beat, Percy ran towards Gabe, grabbed the heaviest thing he could find, a lamp, and brought it down on Gabe's head with a crack.

Gabe went out like a light.

Breathing heavily, Percy let the remains of the lamp fall from his hand. He knelt beside Gabe, his wide eyes never leaving the man's face. He reached forward and felt for a pulse, sighing with relief when he found one. Gabe probably deserved to die, but Percy wasn't sure he could handle the guilt.  
Percy shakily rose to his feet, glancing over at Nico.

"We need to go." He said, his mind kicking into overdrive. Percy's heart was still pounding as he moved quickly through the apartment, grabbing his school backpack and dumping the papers in the trash. He retrieved the first aid kit from his room, as well as some warm clothes, and grabbed food from the kitchen cupboards, stowing everything in the backpack.

Percy glanced at Gabe's unconscious form with hatred and disgust. "I can't just leave him.." He muttered to himself. Suddenly Percy had an idea.

He grabbed the house phone and dialed 911. Before the operator could speak, Percy began talking panickedly.

"Please help, my step-dad's home and he's drunk, h-he's gonna hit m-me again, he's after me! Oh god, please h-help me! Someone help-" He hung up quickly, dropping the phone.

"The cops are gonna find our blood. That coupled with my phone call and mysterious disappearance will be enough to put him away for a long time." Percy explained, a satisfied smile stretching across his bloody face.  
"But before I disappear, I have to find my mom and tell her the truth. If she thinks I'm dead…." Percy shook his head. "She works at a Starbucks in Central Park. You can come with me, if you want."

Nico nodded quickly, moving closer to Percy. "I-I'm coming with you." Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, Nico staggered as his knees threatened to buckle. Percy caught Nico, a wave of horror surging through him as he realized just how hurt Nico was.

"M-my head," he mumbled, closing his eyes as he put a hand to his head. "It hurts…."  
Percy nodded, slinging the backpack over his shoulder and gently lifting Nico in his arms.

"Yeah," Percy answered softly. "We need to get you somewhere safe, so I can take a look at that head of yours." Percy carried Nico out of the apartment and down the stairs, thinking.  
"We have to go somewhere private, but not an alleyway. The police will be searching dumpsters for my body…" Percy shuddered involuntarily, smiling wryly. "Never thought I'd say that…" He murmured, stepping outside, and looking around quickly. The streets were still empty, but he could hear faint police sirens in the distance. Luckily, the police station was on the other side of the city, so Percy had a head start.  
"Maybe if we could sneak in to a closed store or something…" He mused. "How're you holding up, Nico?"

It took a minute for Nico to realize that Percy was talking to him. "Peachy," he mumbled sarcastically. He probably should've felt uncomfortable at how Percy was holding him but instead, he just curled up in the older boy's arms and closed his eyes as his head throbbed. He knew better than to close his eyes with a head injury like this, but he was just so tired. He couldn't help it. But that's when he remembered that Percy was hurt, too – and badly.

"P-Percy," he said, looking up, eyebrows creased with worry. "Are you okay?  
"Put me down," he mumbled. Honestly, he didn't want to be put down; he liked being held like this. It was comfortable, and Percy was so warm while Nico was so cold. But he didn't want to be responsible for hurting the other even more, so he squirmed until he fell out of the elder's arms, just barely managing to catch himself. He stood close to Percy and clung to his arm as they walked. "Sorry."

"But-" Percy started to protest but before he could, the adrenaline left him and suddenly it felt like he was breathing in porcupine quills. He winced and held his ribs. His words were raspy as he choked out, "Y-yeah, maybe carrying you isn't a good idea…" he stayed still, closing his eyes for a minute to try to wait for the wave of pain to pass. Once it did, for the most part, He looked down at Nico again.

He was still concerned about him. The gash on Nico's head was still bleeding. Nico was still sick and malnourished yet somehow he was able to walk. Obviously the eleven year old was tougher than he looked. Though he was still worried, Percy forced a smile.

"I'll be okay," He replied. "If we find some water, I'll be able to heal myself." Percy had discovered that ability a couple years ago, curled up in the shower after a beating from Gabe. The memory was not a pleasant one, so Percy banished it to the back of his mind.

"Hey, look!" He pointed across the street. "That McDonalds is closed. If we can get in, we can hide from the cops while I patch us up." Percy could hear the police sirens getting louder. "But we have to hurry."

Nico nodded, looking down at his feet as they walked.

"My head hurts," he whined after a few minutes, feeling itchy. "Are we almost there? I'm tired."

Percy nodded, Nico's comment about his head increasing his worries. He gently squeezed Nico's hand, partly to comfort the boy and partly to reassure himself. "Yeah, we're here." He stopped in front of the fast food restaurant, glancing around to make sure it was, in fact, closed. No one seemed to be around. "Okay, we need to get in quietly. I dunno if this place has an alarm system or not, so breaking windows is a no." Percy turned to the smaller boy. "Any ideas?"

Nico took an unsteady step forward, mumbling, "Easy." He knelt down and crawled around. "It's got to have a cellar, or at least an air vent. All restaurants do." Finally he found a small latch low down in the outside wall and without a word, he pushed it open and crawled into the vent. A few minutes later, Nico was walking towards the front door from the inside of the store and unlocked it, holding it open for Percy. It was easy to tell he was trying not to smile, proud of himself. "See? Easy."

Percy grinned at Nico. "Nice one." He said approvingly.  
He quickly entered the dark restaurant and locked the door again. "Let's move into the kitchen, so if someone looks through the windows, they won't see us." Percy was quick to follow his own advice and walked into the kitchen, setting his backpack on a counter and turning on the sink.

Percy placed his hand under the running water, sighing contentedly as the healing sensation spread throughout his body. He could feel the cuts on his face beginning to close up, as well as the wounds on his side. The injuries would leave scars, but Percy could deal with that. The water reinvigorated him, clearing away his earlier fatigue and filling him with energy.

He shut the water off, turning to Nico with the first aid kit in hand.

"Alright, let's see what I can do."

But Nico was staring at him in awe, eyes wide. "How do you do that?" he asked. he cracked a dazed smile, almost falling over as he leaned forward so Percy could have access to his head.  
Percy began to treat the gash on Nico's head, wincing as the younger boy flinched.

"It really hurts," he mumbled. He yelped when Percy first touched it and squirmed a bit. "That hurts!" he whined again, closing his eyes tightly.

"Sorry!" Percy mumbled, moving as quickly as he could. He found it was a lot easier to tend to someone else's wounds than his own.  
Nico stayed quiet as he could as Percy cleaned him up, but then he couldn't help himself.

"If water can heal you, do you think it can heal me?" he asked curiously. "It never seems to when I take a shower," he looked disappointed. He wasn't disappointed because water couldn't heal him, he was disappointed because it meant he didn't have as much in common with Percy. He'd stupidly assumed that because Percy knew about monsters and had powers, they were the same, in a way. Nico could barely remember anything about his parents, and his only other family had died. Which is why he felt so attached to Percy; he didn't have anyone else.

Wrapping the cut in gauze, Percy just tilted his head.  
"Maybe." He answered, tying off the bandage. "I didn't discover that ability 'till I was twelve. I don't know of anyone else who has control of the earth like you..." Percy trailed off as Nico's expression darkened.

Nico's thoughts had drifted from Percy to his parents. He barely knew who they were. He'd always thought that they might be the man and woman who violated his dreams almost every night, but that would mean his mother was dead…Nico sat up so fast he made himself dizzy and almost fell over again.

Percy frowned slightly, confused and concerned. He had no idea what happened to Nico, but whatever was in the boy's past was obviously not good.

Nico turned away from Percy, who was at a loss for words. He didn't know what to do, and realized just how little he knew about the other. He was about to say something when Nico surprised him even more by turning around suddenly and burying himself in Percy's arms,

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

"Hey," Percy said softly once he'd gotten over his shock. "It's alright." He murmured, gently rubbing Nico's back in a soothing motion. "You have nothing to apologize for."

Nico sniffed and nodded, though he was trembling in Percy's arms. When the older boy started rubbing his back, it was soothing and felt good. He moved closer, burying his face in Percy's shirt.  
"I-I'm scared, Percy," he whispered shakily. "I…" he…what? He didn't even know. He was just scared, of everything. Of course, he was thankful he had Percy, it was great to finally have some sense of comfort; someone he knew wouldn't hurt him. Then why did he still feel so empty? So broken? So alone?

"P-Percy," he started nervously, looking up at the older boy, his eyes hopelessly broken enough to bring anyone to tears. "W-will you help me?" he looked down as he took Percy's hand in his own cold, smaller one, his thin fingers twining with the other's. "Will you stay with me?"

"Nico, I…" Percy rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you, okay? I'll always be here for you." He held Nico's hand with both of his, locking eyes with the younger boy.

"I promise." Percy gently, hesitantly, wrapped Nico in a hug, trying to get control of his emotions. He stroked Nico's hair, being careful not to agitate his wound.  
"It's all gonna be okay. After I explain things to my mom, we can go somewhere else. We can head south, to somewhere warmer. You'll get better." Percy said, still worried about Nico's illness. "We can fight the monsters, we're strong. We'll make it, I can feel it."

Nico nodded into Percy's chest. "Okay," he whispered, nodding again. "Okay, okay, okay," he repeated, as though things would be okay if he said it enough times. Nico flinched as he heard police sirens and looked at Percy sadly.

"They're after you, aren't they?" he asked, sounding hopeless and despaired. "That means they're after me, too? Or am I just kind of…here. They don't know about me, do they?" Nico started to get scared. "What if they do tests on the blood? My blood is there too - what if they come looking for me? What if they think I'm dead? What if they think I'm alive? I-I don't exist, Percy, t-they can't know…" Nico was starting to hyperventilate. He hadn't told anyone, but ever since he and Bianca left the Lotus hotel with next to no memory except for nightmares, they'd learned that they weren't in any records - they literally didn't exist.

Percy's eyes widened in surprise. This…was unexpected. He'd figured that Nico was on the run from some foster care or orphanage, since he claimed he didn't know his parents. But this… it seemed much more complicated. What was this poor kid mixed up in?

"It's alright." Percy kept his tone steady and reassuring, but not condescending. "If they can't analyze your blood, they'll just assume it's some kind of glitch and mark it down as mine. With no eyewitnesses, there isn't proof you were there, cause I doubt they'll believe Gabe." Percy knew that the police in this city weren't thorough; they'd look at the facts, charge Gabe with murder, and proclaim Percy dead. Gabe would get put away, and then it'd be case closed.

"And if they do come for us…" Percy set his jaw. "We can run from them, just like the monsters. I won't let them take you."

If the police found Percy, he would just be returned to his mother. But if they found Nico, the homeless kid that didn't exist, then he'd end up in child protective services. While living on the streets wasn't the best life, ending up in the system was just as bad, and would be even worse for a kid like Nico.

Percy was determined not to let that happen.

Nico nodded, reassurance slowly filling him. "I…I guess you're right," he said quietly. "I'm sorry. I-I'm just scared, I guess…" he trailed off and sighed.

"Wait, won't your mom think you're dead? How'll she react once she sees you? And what about me? She probably won't like me…no one does, especially not grown-ups. I-I don't want to get you into more trouble, l-like with your step-father…" Nico flinched at the thought. "I…I'm sorry."

"It's okay to be scared." Percy said, giving Nico a small smile. "I'd be worried if you weren't." He admitted.  
"I wouldn't worry about my mom. If I can catch her before she gets home I can explain everything before the cops tell her I'm dead. And I'm pretty sure she'd like you, Nico." Percy told him seriously. "She's a nice person. She'd probably take you in, actually, if we could stay. But since Gabe won't be there, it won't be safe."

Percy realized how that sounded and winced.

"That came out wrong. I mean to say that without Gabe's smell, the monsters would find us." He elaborated. He and his mom had figured out that the monsters could smell Percy, and had learned that only a really smelly person could cover it up. "That's the only reason my mom married that slime ball. To protect me." Percy laughed bitterly. "We thought he'd be better than the monsters. Shows how much we know." Part of him really wished he and Nico could go live with his mom, but he knew better. It wasn't safe for her, and she'd put up with enough for him already.

Percy cleared his throat, realizing that he was being cynical. "You don't have to apologize for what happened back at the apartment. You were really brave." He added quietly. "So thank you."

Nico blushed and looked away. "I just…" he fidgeted nervously. "I didn't want you getting hurt. Especially not like that - you have other things too worry about…too much already hurting you, you know?" he looked back up at Percy with sad eyes. "You don't deserve any of this…especially not that…this shouldn't have happened to you. I'm sorry." He knew how terrible, painful, and dangerous this life was, better than anyone, and he couldn't imagine anyone else having to go through the same thing. But here Percy was, covered in scars that weren't just from monsters. From something worse - something more painful.

Sometimes humans could be the worst monsters.

Percy was touched by Nico's concern and compassion. The boy had enough problems of his own, yet here he was, worrying about Percy. It tugged at his heartstrings and made his chest tight, like he couldn't breathe, and he didn't know why. Why did Nico make Percy feel like this?

"Nico, I…." Percy ran a hand through his long, dark hair. "You really shouldn't apologize. These things are a part of life, well, my life, anyways, and it's made me stronger. You know, when I was your age, I went on a field trip, and a monster found me. But I survived by using skills I'd learned from dealing with Gabe." He paused for a moment, trying to sort out his thoughts.

"This may sound cliché, but sometimes, things happen for a reason. Life with Gabe was hell, but without his scent, I would be dead right now. I'm alive, right? And now I can take care of myself, and you." Percy hadn't meant to say the last part.  
"I'm not saying you can't take care of yourself," He added quickly. "I mean, obviously you can, c-cause you're here now. I just meant-" Percy broke off, shaking his head and smiling sheepishly.  
"I'm just gonna casually change the subject, okay?" That feeling was back. Percy could feel his face heat up, yet he was still clueless as to why it was doing that. "I need to go speak to my mom. You can come with me, or stay here and rest until I come back. It's up to you."

"No, I-I'm coming with you," Nico answered instantly, his eyes scared and slightly wild. He didn't want to be left alone, not again. Nico drew back, letting go of Percy's shirt, blushing a bit. "I-I mean…I just want to meet your mom…she sounds nice."

Percy nodded, secretly relieved that Nico wanted to come. He would've been a nervous wreck if Nico had stayed, but he didn't want Nico to feel like he had to do whatever Percy said. The poor kid had so little control over his life; he should at least be able to make his own decisions.

"Great," Percy replied, rising to his feet. He put all the medical supplies and some food into the backpack and slung it over his shoulder. As he left the kitchen, he also took some cash out of the register. Percy felt guilty about it, but he didn't take much, and they would need it in the future.

He glanced at Nico and smiled reassuringly.

"All set? Can you walk alright?"

Nico nodded. "Yeah," he lied. "I'm fine." He stood up shakily, slipping his hand into Percy's again. He was still more than a little dizzy and prodded the cuts on his head lightly. He winced, hoping Percy hadn't seen. He didn't want Percy to worry more; he already had enough to deal with. Nico felt bad. Percy shouldn't have to take care of him, he shouldn't have to do anything but live and be a regular kid. But neither of them would ever be able to do that. Nico sighed. He looked up at the older boy, shuffling his feet as Percy led the way out of the restaurant and back onto the cold, dark streets of New York.

"D-do you think your mom'll like me?"

"Yep. She's working the graveyard shift at a Starbucks a few blocks from here," Percy answered, keeping a careful eye on Nico as they walked. "And of course she'll like you! She'll probably be happy that I actually made a friend for once." Whoops, that was a little sad. Percy brushed it off with a laugh, like he was making a joke.  
"Anyways, she'll definitely like you, trust me." While he was confident that his mother would take well to Nico, he was still anxious about her reaction to everything. Hopefully she'd understand that without Gabe's scent, having him around would just be too dangerous.

Nico gave a small smile. He hoped Percy's mom would like him. He'd barely ever had a mom, or a friend at all and to be honest, it felt good to finally have someone take care of him. He stood closer to Percy and looked down at his feet, "Bianca would be happy that I made a friend, too," he smiled wistfully. "She'd like you."

Percy was silent for a moment, thinking. Nico said he didn't know his parents, so Bianca wasn't his mother. Besides, Percy didn't know any kid who called their mother by her name. So would that make Bianca a friend? No, he'd said she'd be happy that Nico had actuallymade a friend. That meant a close relation, sister, perhaps? Either way, it was obvious from Nico's tone, expression, and use of past tense that Bianca was dead.

Percy gave Nico a sad smile, squeezing his hand gently. "Thanks." He already knew trust was an issue for Nico, so him opening up to Percy about his past, even just a little, was a big deal.

He could see the Starbucks his mom worked at down the block. Percy glanced down at Nico.

"Okay, we're here. I think I should explain what happened with Gabe before she meets you."

Nico nodded in agreement, trailing behind the boy. His heart started to beat faster in his chest as they neared the store. He was scared. What if he didn't set a good first impression? He knew he wouldn't, being so small, sick, filthy and bloody; next to no mom would want to be near him and especially wouldn't want their kids near him. What if she didn't want him? After all, he was just a random kid Percy picked up off the streets. What if she blamed him for Percy getting hurt? He tended to do that to people.

Nico stopped when he found himself standing in front of the store and he instinctively held Percy's hand tighter so he might stop shaking. "I-I'll just wait out here."

"Yeah.." Percy gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll be right back." He looked in through the windows and saw that the cafe was empty, except for his mother behind the counter. She looked tired, but that wasn't anything new. Percy took a calming breath before walking in.

"Percy?"

"Hey mom- oof!" He was suddenly wrapped in an enormous bear hug, breathing in the scent of java beans.

"Percy, what are you doing here? It's late, and… and you don't look too good. What's wrong? Are you sick?" Sally placed a hand on his forehead.

"Mom, I'm fine." He gently pushed her away. "Something's happened."

Her expression quickly grew serious.

"It's about Gabe." Percy said carefully. He saw her eyes widen in horror and quickly held up his hands. "It's okay, everything's fine, except… I kinda called the police on him."

"What!?"

"Please, just listen. I'm running out of time." He knew he was probably freaking her out, but he and Nico had to leave the city, as soon as possible. "I found someone, on the streets. His name is Nico. He's just a kid, but he was all alone. Gabe wasn't home so I took him back and took care of him. He was just gonna spend the night, but… Gabe came back. Drunk."

He smiled sheepishly.

"The one time I needed the house empty, he decided to come back. Ironic, huh? Well, things got bad fast, but me and Nico took him out. He's like me, mom. He's got these powers, and the monsters go after him too." His face fell. "I...I called the cops and pretended I was being attacked. They're going to find Gabe unconscious with my blood on his hands, and me nowhere to be found. He's going away, mom. For a long, long, time."

Sally stared at him, speechless. She knelt to the ground, pulling her son into another bone-crushing hug.

"Oh, Percy, I'm so sorry…" She whispered. "I never should have- I was just trying to…protect you."

"I know." Percy hugged her back. "Now it's my turn to protect you. Gabe's gone, but if I stay the monsters will find me, and you'll get caught in the crossfire. I have to leave."

She pulled away and looked at him, her eyes filling with tears.

"Percy..."

"Mom, please. It's the only way. You know that as much as I do." He swallowed, feeling his eyes beginning to sting. "Please don't make this hard. You're free of that slob now, you can live a normal life. I'll be fine."

"I'm going to miss you, Percy."

"Me too."

They hugged again. It's for the better, Percy repeated to himself. When they finally pulled away, Percy smiled.

"Do you wanna meet Nico? He's right outside."

Sally nodded, wiping away her tears.

"Yes, I'd like that." She stood, brushing her hands on her apron.

"Just remember, he's been on his own for a while." Percy said sadly. "He's sick and hurt, and...not very trusting. He's had a rough time." Sally nodded in response, following Percy outside.

Nico looked up quickly when he heard the door open and Percy and his mother walked out. He didn't have to force a smile when Percy greeted him, and shifted his feet as he smiled shyly under the duo's gaze.

"Hey, Nico." Percy smiled. "This is my mom. Nico, mom. Mom, Nico."

"Hi Nico." Sally smiled kindly at him.

"Hi," Nico mumbled quietly. He tugged on the bottom of his t-shirt nervously. He might as well try to get on a better foot, but how? He'd gotten the woman's son hurt, was he just supposed to apologize? So, of course, Nico said something super intelligent like, "S-sorry for breaking your son."

Percy chuckled lightly as Sally tilted her head in confusion. He knelt down to Nico's level.

"Hey, you did nothing wrong, okay?" Percy put a gentle hand on Nico's shoulder. "Gabe probably wouldn't have done anything if I hadn't been a smartass."

"Percy, language!" His mother gasped.

"Sorry." Percy ducked his head sheepishly. "Point is, it wasn't your fault."

"What happened? Are you two okay?" Sally asked anxiously, eyeing the bandages on Nico's head. "Are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital or-"

"No, mom." Percy said quickly. "We handled it. Huh, Nico?" He grinned and nudged Nico gently. "Smelly Gabe was no match for us."

Sally ran a hand through her hair, smiling.

"Well, Nico, I hope you can keep my son in line." She tousled Percy's hair playfully, who scowled and smoothed his hair back. Sally's expression grew sad.

"Are you sure you guys can't stay…?"

"Yeah." Percy glanced away. "I mean, we want to, but...it's too dangerous."

"Alright…" Sally looked up as police sirens sounded in the distance. "Are those for you?"

Percy nodded solemnly. She sighed heavily.

"Then you two should probably get going." Sally knelt down and wrapped them both in a hug. "You two always have a place with me, understand?"

"Yes, mom." Percy swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. "I'll keep in touch."

"You better."

"And mom?" Percy took her by the arm. "They're going to tell you that your son is gone, presumed dead. You have to be prepared for that, okay? You have to play the victim, get him locked up forever. And then, start over." He held up his hand as she began to protest. "Please. For me."

"Okay… okay, I will Percy."

"And don't worry about us, we'll be fine."

"I'll still worry, Percy. For both of you." She hugged them again before rising to her feet. "Take care of yourselves. I love you." Sally gave them one last smile before walking back into the empty coffee shop.

Percy turned to Nico.

"You ready to go?"

"Your mom's really nice," Nico replied softly, simply. There was so much more he could've said, but he kept quiet and nodded at Percy's question. "Yeah, let's go." He turned and started walking, standing close to Percy. "I'm tired," he looked up at the older boy. "Do you think we could find a place nearby to sleep? What about that alleyway from before?"

Percy nodded, taking in the dark circles under Nico's eyes.

"Yeah, maybe not in the same alleyway, though. The police will check the alleys near the apartment for my body." That didn't get any easier to say.  
He turned and began walking down the street, away from the apartment and his old life.

"We should definitely find somewhere hidden to crash, before people start waking up to go to work. If someone found us, it'd be- oof!" Percy broke off as he stumbled over something. Catching himself, he stopped and knelt to the ground, studying the offending object.

It was just an ordinary shoebox, but his heart jolted when he saw what was printed on the lid.

Percy Jackson.

He looked up at Nico in confusion.

"But I… that's my name… how…?" Percy knew strange things happened in his life, but this was a first. He slowly, carefully, reached out and lifted the lid.

Inside was a pen. A cheap, everyday ballpoint pen. Percy picked it up, chuckling.

"Well, what do you know?" He twirled the pen in his fingers. "Here I thought it'd be some mysterious, mystical item- oh." As Percy uncapped the pen, it began to expand, growing into a glowing sword three feet long.

"You don't see that in most pens." He joked weakly. Percy rose to his feet, holding the sword in his hands and testing the grip. Even though he'd never held a sword before, it felt right.

"It's kinda like yours, Nico, except it glows." He mused. Could this be some kind of gift from his father?

Percy heard the wailing of police sirens in the distance. Glancing behind himself instinctively he took Nico by the hand.

"Well, no time to worry about it now. C'mon, let's go find somewhere to sleep."

"You're right, we shouldn't be around here—" right on queue, the sirens got closer, so close that they were just around the corner. "Run!"

And that wasn't the last time those two had run from something, be it police or monsters or just some bothersome mortals. Nico and Percy settled on an alleyway a few blocks away, where there was a nice doorway to an old bakery that looked like had been abandoned for years, were they were more hidden to sleep. Nico yawned and sat down next to Percy, and without thinking about it he tucked himself into Percy's side and was soon asleep.


	3. Hotdogs, Harpies, and a Hooved Helper

_/Three years later/_

Percy woke up with a jolt.

It took him a moment to remember where he was. He glanced around the empty warehouse, clearing the fog from his mind. Why did he have that dream? Percy hadn't thought about that night in years…

His eyes rested on Nico's sleeping form. Last week, they'd lucked out and found a woolen blanket. It was itchy, but it was warm. Percy always worried about Nico's health. It wasn't as bad now, since it was still warm, but come autumn Nico would be at risk of getting sick again.

Percy wished he could let the fourteen-year old sleep, gods know he could use it. But unfortunately, their life didn't allow sleeping in.

"Nico…" Percy gently shook his friend. "Neeks, wake up. I've got to get to work."

He really couldn't afford to be late. This was his fourth job in two months. Every time Percy and Nico began to settle in a new city, something happened and they had to leave. It wasn't always this bad. Back when they first started out, they were able to stay put at one place for months at a time. But the older they got, the more attention they got from monsters. Nowadays it seemed like they were always on the run from something.

Nico made a sleepy noise of protest, desperately trying to cling onto quickly-fading image of Bianca. Nico groaned and pressed his face into Percy's side, clutching the blanket around himself.  
"Percy," he half-whined, voice still thick with sleep. "You suck."  
He barely ever slept, and the one time he did, and the one time he actually didn't have a nightmare, he was woken up? Life wasn't fair.

But he had bigger things to worry and complain about than waking up early, such as Percy losing yet another job and putting them in an even worse position, them getting attacked by yet another monster, or Nico getting sick, yet again. Actually, Nico already was getting sick, but they had enough to deal with without Percy having to take care of a sick Nico di Angelo, so he kept quiet.

Nico pushed himself up, hunching over with the blanket draped over his head and shoulders as he knuckled the sleep from his eyes. He definitely wasn't a morning person. He blinked a few times, eyes still half-closed and looked to Percy groggily.

"Morning," he mumbled, holding the blanket closer. Then he frowned. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?" That definitely woke Nico up more. He sat up and shrugged off the blanket, safely tucking it into a corner so they wouldn't lose their only belonging. With a sigh, Nico stood up and stretched. He turned away from Percy as he sheathed his sword in his belt and tossed the older boy his pen. He couldn't help but smile, as he did every morning, because he finally had something - someone to wake up to. He finally wasn't alone.

"Yep," Percy caught his pen and tucked it in his pocket, like he did every day. "On my way now, actually. You know where it is, right? The Burger King on Main Street?"

As he spoke, Percy changed from his tired, stretched out T-shirt into his work shirt, the only other shirt he had. It had an annoying collar, but it was warmer than his other one. Even if this job didn't work out, he was definitely keeping the shirt.

Nico turned around when Percy spoke to him but immediately averted his eyes and blushed as the older boy changed his shirt. Nico didn't have another shirt to change into, though sometimes he'd wear Percy's if his got too dirty. He wore mostly the same thing since he was eleven; his black skull shirt, black jeans, and his still-too big aviator jacket. But he was thankful that all his clothes were black, or else he would've looked ten times worse being as filthy and grimy as he was. He stayed silent, as he usually did, and just nodded in response.

Percy ran his fingers through his tangled hair in an attempt to get it to lay flat, studying himself in a cracked window. He could wash his face once he got there; there wasn't enough time to duck into a convenience store before work.

"Just come find me if you need anything. My shift ends at noon, so I'll check up with you at lunch, but I'm taking another shift from two to five." Percy ruffled Nico's hair affectionately, noticing how long it had gotten. They could both use a good haircut. Maybe he'd do it with his sword after work.

"Be careful. I'll see you later." And with that, Percy slipped out of the warehouse, breaking into a jog and hoping he could make it on time.

Percy's warning and goodbye snapped Nico out of his thoughts and he looked up to see Percy walking out of the warehouse.  
"You too," he called meekly, doubting Percy had even heard him. Nico sighed and hunched over, holding his head in his hands and rethinking things over for a good five minutes before he looked up again. He stood up and pulled on his jacket, which had noticeably lost most of its compression and ability to hold in heat. He didn't really care, he just felt too bare without it. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Nico trudged out of the warehouse. He eyed the shop a few blocks away from the warehouse, and casually walked in. Walking past the food isle, he discretely slipped a few granola bars into the pockets of his jacket. The store was oddly empty, but Nico didn't dwell on it. As he was reaching for a pack of Band-Aids the two had been in need of for a long time, someone grabbed his arm.

Dammit.

Percy had made it through the doors just in time. He quickly slipped behind the counter, giving his co-worker, Megan, a breathless hello.

"Cutting it close again, eh Jackson?" She grinned.

"Yeah, well, you know…" Percy replied, ducking into the kitchen to wash his hands. He knew he had a while before the place got busy, since their breakfast menu didn't bring in many customers.

Oddly enough, he heard the door open as finished cleaning up.

"Hello, welcome to Burger King, are you ready to order?" Megan asked.

"I'll just be a moment." Came the reply. Suddenly, there was an eerie hissing noise, and Megan screamed. Percy bolted out of the kitchen without hesitation, his heart racing, hand already reaching for his pen.

Standing at the counter was a haggard woman with a twisted face, mottled wings, and arms that ended in talons. Her dark, beady eyes focused on Percy, and the monster let out an unearthly screech.

"Get out of here!" Percy shouted at Megan, uncapping his sword as the monster lunged at them. As Megan ran out through the back door, Percy brought his sword up to counter the monster's first strike. But she weighted a lot more than she looked and the force of her attack knocked Percy back into the kitchen.

He fell hard, rolling to the side as the monster slashed at him, her talons leaving deep gauges in the floor. Percy recovered himself and stabbed at the harpy, but she was quick and caught him across the face with the ends of her claws.

Stumbling, Percy bumped into the sink. As the harpy advanced, he pushed his arms forward and water burst out through the pipes, spraying the monster into a rack of pots and pans.

Moving quickly, Percy darted forward and stabbed the harpy in the stomach. It exploded into dust.

"P-Percy?"

Breathing heavily, Percy capped his sword and rushed out to see Nico. One look at him confirmed that Nico had been attacked as well. He was covered in monster dust and his jeans were torn and bloody. He was looking pretty unstable, and Percy quickly moved to his side.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "We have to go. Harpies travel in groups; there'll be more on the way."

Nico didn't respond to the other's question and just nodded in agreement, turning to go.

"A-are you okay?" he asked, facing to Percy with worry lining his face.

"I'm fine," Percy assured him. But you're not, he added silently. He saw that Nico was limping, but it'd have to wait until they were safe.

"How did they even find us?" Nico huffed. "You'd think, with how dirty we are, that our scent would be covered up at least a little." He let out a huff of annoyance. He was sick of monsters, sick of getting attacked. He was sick of living in the streets and everything going against them. He was sick of this life. At least he didn't have to go through it alone, is what he told himself dozens of times a day. He still had Percy.

"I don't know, but it's really getting old." He cracked a smile. He'd been wondering the same thing. They were homeless; if monsters could still smell them, their scent must be very strong.

They reached the warehouse and quickly set about gathering their few belongings. Percy stowed the blanket in his old backpack, which was pretty much empty save some food and a few crumpled dollars. Slinging the backpack across his shoulder, Percy glanced around the warehouse to make sure they'd left nothing behind.

Although this was routine by now, Percy was getting tired of constantly moving around. But he had to, to keep Nico safe.

So Percy turned to Nico and smiled sadly.

"You ready to go now?"

Nico nodded, rubbing his face tiredly. He couldn't help but think of how unfair it was that he could never slept until he desperately needed to be awake. Just his luck...or lack thereof.

"Yeah, sorry," he mumbled, grunting slightly as he pushed himself up. "Uh, where are we going this time?" Nico wouldn't be surprised if they'd ran out of places to run away to. He stumbled when he stood up and took hold on Percy's arm again.

The question took Percy by surprise. He hadn't really been thinking ahead, just 'get somewhere safe and I'll figure it out later.'

"I have no idea." Percy admitted. He felt horrible; he was the one who was supposed to know these things. He should've planned ahead for something like this. Now they were running away to nowhere, the harpies could be anywhere, and Nico was hurt, and sick, and-

"SCREEEEEEE-!"

Nico pushed Percy to the ground as a harpy slashed at him. He hit the pavement with a grunt and rolled to his feet, his hand already reaching for his pen. He knocked the monster away as it lunged for them, and suddenly someone screamed.

Then they both realized that they were in the middle of a fairly crowded street, and the harpy had fallen backwards into a hot dog cart.

Over the years, Percy had learned that other people didn't see things the way he and Nico did. They couldn't see monsters for what they really were, so he had no idea what they were seeing, but whatever it was was enough to send them into a panic.

The harpy screeched and burst out of the cart, sending it crashing into a lamppost. People scrambled to get out of the way, and Percy finally grasped the danger of the situation.

"Nico!" he brought his sword up to counter the harpy's talons. "You have to get everyone out of here!" He didn't know what state Nico was in; Percy was in between him and the harpy and turning around right now would be fatal.  
Nico forced himself to his feet and ran towards the crowd of people, shouting, "Get out! Go! Now!" The group started to disperse, but not fast enough.

The monster went in for another slash, but Percy had been expecting it. He ducked to the side and his sword bit into the harpy's stomach. It let out a blood-curdling screech as the wound began to bleed, but it wasn't enough devastating enough to kill her completely.

Enraged, the harpy dove at him, switching tactics mid-strike. She crashed into Percy and pinned him to the ground, her claws digging into his shoulders. With a yell, Percy brought his knees up and kicked the monster off over his head, scrambling to his feet.

Raising his sword, Percy rushed to meet the harpy's attack.

There were loud choruses of 'What's going on?'s and 'Oh my god!'s and the occasional curse and threat, and of course the ever-lasting shouts to call the police. Nico cursed. He gave the people light pushes as he urged them on before he stopped and looked down in surprise. There was a little kid, crying and clinging to his leg. Nico didn't know what to do. What was he supposed to do with a lost little kid in this mess? With a huff, he picked up the child and started running along with the group until he found a woman with two other kids and handed him to her, assuming - or hoping - that she'd at least know what to do with him. He ran back, ushering the last few people away before his exhaustion caught up to him.

Vaguely, he could hear shouting and crashes as Percy's sword clanged against the monster's talons. The older boy ducked and went for a jab, but the monster took to the sky, her powerful wings beating against him. He reeled back, sword scraping the ground.

His vision funneled. Percy could feel himself fading quickly. He wasn't in a good condition, and the fight back at the Burger King had taken a lot out of him. But amid the chaos, Percy saw Nico, crumpled on the ground. The harpy saw him, too. Her wings folded as she went into a nosedive, talons extended.

Percy pushed himself into a run, his heart beating into overdrive.

"Don't you dare touch him!" He yelled.

His sword arced through the air, slicing through the harpy's midsection. With a squawk, the harpy exploded into dust.

Breathing heavily, Percy turned his attention to the people watching, his eyes widening. Someone snapped a picture on their phone.

"What the-"

"Someone do something!"

"Grab him!"

Police sirens. Angry panicked mob. Percy's mind processed these things slowly. He stumbled back, glancing at Nico, but someone else was already there.  
A twenty-something year-old guy with curly hair tucked beneath a Rasta cap was lifting Nico to his feet. Percy's breathing hitched until he realized the guy was trying to help them.

"Come on! You guys gotta get out of here!" He yelled at Percy, dragging the half-conscious Nico away from the crowd. Percy woke up and ran over to help him, taking Nico into his arms protectively. They turned and fled from the scene, Percy's muscles screaming in protest.

"I know a back route out of town!" The guy panted. Percy noticed he was running oddly, like he had some sort of limp.

"Who-"

"I'm Grover. I'll explain everything later, right now we have to get you two to safety."

Now, Percy knew better than to follow some mysterious stranger, but Nico wasn't doing well, and he couldn't let them get arrested for some fabricated crime they didn't commit.

He followed the stranger down an alley, police sirens wailing in the distance. Nico was too out of it to notice what was going on until he was being set down in an alleyway, a safe distance away from the crime scene.

Grover was prodding at Nico, lifting his head to look at his face and holding up his arms.

"W-what are you - don't touch me!" Nico protested weakly, pulling away from the stranger. He shot a desperate look to Percy. "Percy, what-"  
Percy put a firm hand on Grover's shoulder, who jumped.

"Ah, s-sorry!" He took a step back from Nico, ducking his head sheepishly. "I just… you two are so old.. I wanted to make sure."

Percy knit his brows together.

"What do you mean, old? I'm only seventeen."

"That's what I mean!" Grover tugged absently on his goatee. "Those were harpies. You… you guys are demigods, right?" when he just got confused looks in response, Grover rephrased, "You guys have powers- the monsters, they come after you a lot.?"

Glancing at Nico, Percy nodded.

"How long have you known?" Grover asked, chewing his lip nervously.

"Um.. I've known since I was, uh, eight, I think. A monster attacked me in a playground." Percy knelt beside Nico and began cleaning the cut on his leg, thankful that his backpack hadn't fallen off in the escape.  
"Nico, you knew before you met me, right? So..." He looked up at Grover. "We've both know for a good part of our lives. Why does it matter?"

Grover inhaled slowly.

"Why...why haven't you two gone to camp?" He stared at them like they'd just crash landed from outer space.

"Camp?" Percy frowned. "What camp? Like, summer camp? I've been to one, but I didn't like it."

"No, not summer camp!" Grover scratched behind his ear. "Well, you go there during the summer, but it's not like other summer camps. It's not a place for canoeing and arts and crafts. Well, we do those sometimes, but, blahaha, you know what I mean." He had an odd laugh. It sounded almost like bleating…

"Camp Halfblood." Grover said. "Why haven't you been?"

Percy exchanged a look with Nico.

"Look, we don't know about some camp…"

"But, you two are so powerful!"

Percy couldn't stop himself from laughing.

"Really, Grover? Look at me! I can't even fight off some chicken ladies."

Grover shook his head fervently.

"No, your blood. You two have a very strong scent."

Percy rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I know I smell… wait, how do you know that?" Percy narrowed his eyes. "The only things that can smell us like that are… monsters." Within the second, Percy had grover at swordpoint.

"No, w-wait!" Grover held out his hands defensively. "I'm not a m-monster! I'm a satyr, a protector. It's my job to find half bloods - kids like you - and take them to camp."

"Why do we have to go to this camp?" Percy demanded.

"It's a special p-place for demigods." Grover swallowed. "It's a safe place, monsters c-can't get in. You learn how to fight, how to protect yourself there."

Percy drew back, still holding his sword tightly. He wasn't sure about this, but if what Grover said was true… if it was a safe place…

He looked over at Nico.

"Nico, what do you think? Should we go? If it's safe there…"

Nico crossed his arms, turning his glare from Grover to Percy.

"No," he answered immediately, barely stopping to think. "No way. Not happening." He shook his head, eyeing Grover suspiciously. He couldn't help but be slightly annoyed by Percy; he understood how it felt to be so desperate for safety that going to an unknown place with a stranger sounded like the better option - heck, that's how he met Percy, isn't it? But this was way out of line.

"Percy, no," he said sternly. "You heard him - he can smell our powers? He's a monster. There's no way we're going with him."  
Then he hesitated and felt something inside him shrivel up. He didn't control Percy, this wasn't his decision, and it wasn't only him they were thinking about. Percy counted, too.

"You can go if you want," he said finally, looking away. "But I'm not."

Percy backpedalled mentally, his green eyes widening in slight panic at the thought of leaving Nico. That wasn't an option. And Percy certainly wasn't going to force Nico to go anywhere, so the only choice left was…

He raised his sword.

"Blahaha! I'm n-not a monster!" Grover protested helplessly. "I'm a satyr, a nature spirit. Please, let me prove it."

Percy just wanted to drive his sword through him, watch him explode into dust like all the other monsters. But something was holding him back, some deep instinct telling him that he was wrong.

"I have hooves." Grover said quickly. "I'm wearing fake feet; I can take them off a-and you'll see goat hooves, I promise, j-just let me show you." He pleaded.

Something wasn't right; if Grover was a monster, he would've tried something by now. And he looked scared, really, genuinely scared. And… slightly disbelieving, like he couldn't believe this was happening.

Percy gripped the handle of his sword indecisively.

"I.. I don't…" Why was this so difficult? Monsters had tricked them before; they both had the scars to prove it. Experience should tell Percy to kill Grover, but it didn't feel right.

"I could eat a can!" Grover added helpfully. "Or do some nature magic on my panpipes, or… or…"

"Nico, I… I think we should give him a chance." Percy said carefully, his eyes still on Grover. "Let's just see if he's actually a monster before we do anything."

Nico nodded wearily, trying to hide his relief when Percy refused to leave him. He was so grateful. He was reminded dozens of times a day how lucky he was to have such a great friend, someone who would take care of him and protect him at all costs. Of course, Nico would do the same for Percy in a heartbeat but for Nico…it was different. And he would never take any of it for granted.

So he crossed his arms and raised his chin as he tried to size up Grover, though he wasn't looking very intimidating as his skeletal frame drowned in his oversized T-shirt, but Grover still cringed under the cold gaze of his eyes, as almost everyone did.

He hurriedly scrambled to pull off his shoes and Nico's forbidding physique vanished as his jaw nearly dropped. From the waist down, Grover was a…donkey? Nico shot a sideways glance to Percy, eyebrows raised.

"You're seeing this too, right?"

Percy nodded slowly.

"Yeah." He blinked. "He's half donkey."

"Goat!" Grover exclaimed indignantly, though he seemed relieved that the hostility had ebbed. "Half goat. We satyrs work for Mr. D, the head of Camp Halfblood. We can smell demigods, and we go out into the mortal world a-and find them. We bring them to camp and help them learn to fight, but…" He scratched the back of his head.

"We usually find them before they reach twelve. The older they get, the more monsters they attract. How...how did you two manage for so long?" Grover asked wonderingly.

Percy shrugged, equally confused.

"I don't know. We've only been on the streets for… three years, now, but before that… why didn't you find us? I can maybe understand Nico, he was only ten at the time, but I was fourteen…" He mused. "All I know is what I've seen. I've known about monsters for years, same with Nico. We never knew anything about this camp of yours."

"This is weird." Grover muttered. "There's no way… you two are both powerful demigods, surely one of us would've found you…" He shook his head. "Either way, you're welcome at Camp Halfblood. Like I said, it's a safe haven for demigods, the only one in the world. And maybe Mr. D will be able to figure out how you guys slipped through the cracks." He smiled nervously. "D-do you wanna come?"

Percy capped his sword, convinced that they could trust Grover but still unsure whether or not to go. He felt like it was the right thing to do, but if Nico didn't want to, then he would forget it all in an instant.

"Nico? Whatever you wanna do is fine with me."

Nico was confused. So far his day had gone like this: nightmare, boredom, monster attack, running away again, another monster attack, and then a half-donkey-boy trying to recruit them to a camp for 'demigods' like them.

Eh, Nico thought. He'd had weirder days.

Nico examined Percy's face after looking Grover over again and narrowed his eyes. He could tell, that both he and Percy were desperate for a 'safe haven' like this camp, and really just needed a break, but they was still too scared. They'd spent three years learning to fight and hide and trust no body. Now they had to confront reality head-on, but…there were others like them. More demigods, he meant. Nico had only known about monsters from what he'd experienced but he knew they were real. Still, meeting Percy had been a major surprise because he thought he was the only one. They still thought they were the only ones, but now, all of a sudden there was a camp that they were the only ones who hadn't been to?

Instead of answering, Nico tugged Percy's hand into his lap for some comfort he desperately needed right now and, avoiding both of the others' gazes, mumbled, "I was eleven, actually."

Percy cracked a smile, gently ruffling Nico's hair with his free hand.

"Right, eleven. Sorry." He looked up at Grover. "Listen, today's been crazy for us. How about we find somewhere to rest and decide what to do in the morning?"

Grover nodded.

"Alright, whatever you two wanna do is fine. There's no pressure to make a decision right away." The goat-man (satyr, was it?) seemed a lot more at ease now. "Besides, I can't smell any monsters nearby. I think that harpy you killed earlier was the last of them."

Percy tilted his head.

"So, you can smell monsters too, then?"

"Yeah," Grover replied. "That's how I found you, actually. I smelled the monster before I smelled you guys. Yet another thing to add to the list of stuff that doesn't make sense." He shrugged. "Anyways, this building here is empty, we can crash here tonight. Unless you'd rather me leave and come back in the morning." Grover added quickly.

"No, no, you're fine. I'll take first watch." Percy was tired, but Nico needed the sleep more and he had to be sure nothing happened during the night.

Grover seemed to sense Percy's hesitation.

"If it's any consolation, I can smell them in my sleep, too. If a monster gets within a half mile of us, it'll wake me up."

"Well, that's handy." Percy quipped. "But it's fine, I'll keep watch." Though his tone was light, his expression made it clear there was no room for discussion on the topic.

"Okay." Grover responded quickly. He opened the door to the dark building. "See you guys in the morning, then." Grover disappeared into the building, his hooves clicking on the concrete floor.

Percy glanced down at Nico, sinking to his level.

"Hey, are you doing okay?" He asked. Percy wanted to make sure Nico was comfortable with the situation before anything else. He'd noticed that Nico had zoned out; he did that often. It was kind of an unspoken agreement that Percy would do most of the talking, and Nico trusted him to make the right decision. He waited patiently until Nico pulled himself from his thoughts and nodded quickly.

"Y-yeah, fine," he said, though he looked away the moment the words left his mouth. He looked around for Grover, glancing at the building the satyr had gone into. He looked back to Percy with tired eyes and sighed, unconsciously leaning towards him a bit. "Percy, I -" Nico stopped himself and closed his eyes.  
"I just want to get some rest," he finally finished softly. He took Percy's hand and stood up shakily, trailing behind the older boy into the building. Nico sat down next to Percy and tucked himself as close as he could into the other's side and curled up tightly. Percy wrapped his arm around the smaller boy's shoulders, pulling him closer to keep him warm. With his other hand, he tugged the blanket out of their backpack and draped it over them.

Quietly, so Nico wasn't sure if Percy could hear him or not, Nico murmured, "I just want to be safe."

Percy paused. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to live in safety. He couldn't remember a time where he'd felt secure in his life, even before they went on the run. Percy just hoped this all worked out, because he knew for a fact that the life they were living was quickly becoming too much for them.

"Yeah," Percy responded quietly. "Me too."


	4. Gone Fishing

As he kept watch through the night, Percy's mind raced. This camp, it could be just what they needed. Nico could get better, he just had to. They could finally stop running from monsters, even just for a little while. Percy wasn't sure how long they were going to stay, assuming they made it there alright, but he didn't care.

To spend just one night in safety would be enough for him.

Percy glanced over at Grover's slumbering form. He trusted the satyr, but this whole situation was a little odd. There were so many questions; why had they gone so long without being found? How come their godly parents never spoke to them? Percy had received dreams, and he was sure Nico did, too, but they didn't help much.

He hoped that whoever Mr. D was, he could help them.

He also wondered what it'd be like to meet other demigods. The thought was so strange to him. Would they all have powers like him and Nico? Would they have different abilities? Did they all know how to fight? Would they accept them, just like that? He found it hard to believe.

But, he supposed all that could wait until later. First they had to actually get there, and he had no idea how long that would take.

As the hours passed by, Percy's resolve crumbled. He was exhausted. Eventually, his tired eyes closed on their own accord, and he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. Nico, on the other hand, wasn't as fortunate.

He suffered from the same reoccurring nightmare he had almost every other night.

 _"Bianca!" Nico was shouting as he bounded over to his sister, waving a deck of Mythomagic cards in her face. She pretended to be interested as he rambled on about attack value and bonus points, until he pulled out the Hades card. For some reason he'd always taken special notice of Hades, but never quite knew the reason for his interest. Bianca instantly became interested as well, and this time she wasn't faking it when she asked him to explain how that particular card worked. So Nico proudly showed off his knowledge on Hades, the god of death, until the woman - the same woman who haunted all of his dreams, nearly every night - walked over and took the two children by the hands, leading them into a building. The siblings followed without hesitation, completely trustful of this woman. As always, Nico was left in Bianca's lap as the woman argued with another man, and then stormed up the stairs. There was a loud BOOM and the ceiling crumbled._

Nico woke up before he could hear the screams.

Eyes snapping open and tiny chest heaving, he tried to remember what had happened. His mind was still reeling over his reoccurring nightmare, but he closed his eyes and struggled to take deep breaths to regain himself. When he opened his eyes again, he was more aware of the things around him. For one thing, he was still curled up in Percy's side, a blanket tucked snuggly around him. Percy was sleeping on the top of Nico's head, which was leaning on the older boy's shoulder so he had no idea how that was comfortable. Percy was still dead asleep, as proven by his mind-bogglingly- loud snoring. Grover was passed out too, hooves occasionally twitching as he grumbled about being hungry. Nico rolled his eyes but stopped to cringe when he felt Percy starting to drool.

"Eew, Percy, wake up," he hissed, nudging the other gently. "Perce. Seriously, you're drooling on me."

Percy jumped, eyes snapping open.

He glanced around in confusion before his gaze rested on Nico, who looked slightly annoyed.

"Huh, wha…?" His hand reached up to wipe some drool off his chin. He paused, putting two and two together. "Oh, I.. the drool, yeah, sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, a light blush spreading across his cheeks. "Hope I didn't wake you.." he trailed off, noticing the light filtering in through a cracked, dusty window. It was the next day.

"I fell asleep…?" He groaned, dragging a hand down his face.

"Ah, gods.." He scanned the building, frustrated with himself. "I should've been keeping watch, this soon after an attack." What if there had been more harpies, or another monster attracted by all the commotion? Grover said he would be able to tell, but that wasn't good enough for Percy.

Grover was still asleep. He hadn't moved from his spot once during the night. Percy was confident that they could trust the satyr, but he didn't know how capable Grover would be in a fight.

"Percy," Nico said softly, then stopped and sighed. "You deserve some sleep." He studied Nico carefully, noting the ever-increasing circles under the boy's eyes.

"How are you doing? Get any rest?"

Nico looked down, only glancing up at Percy's question. "Uh, yeah, you could say that," he mumbled. "I slept, but it wasn't very restful. Nightmares." He let everything, all his fear and exhaustion and desperation for something good for once, pour out into that one word. He turned to move into Percy, burying his face in the older boy's shirt. "P-Percy, w-when will this just… _stop?_ Why won't the universe just leave us alone?"

Percy was taken aback, his green eyes widening in surprise. But after a heartbeat he wrapped his arms around Nico, cradling the smaller boy's head and stroking his inky black hair in a soothing motion.

"I...I don't know, Neeks." He responded quietly. "I'm not gonna lie, things have been hard lately. Sometimes I feel like my life is going nowhere fast, and every day of fighting just delays the inevitable. Like I just want to give up, you know?"

Nico nodded into Percy's shirt, staying silent and not even moving as Percy spoke. What he liked about Percy was that he never lied to Nico. He was always honest, for better or for worse. He never told him that 'everything would be okay' when they were homeless and hurt from a monster attack, or that 'he'd be fine' when he was sick. There was no point in lying - the facts were inevitable and they'd just about accepted it, despite how aggravating it was sometimes.

Nico often though about what would've happened if Percy hadn't found him, if they hadn't escaped together. Percy would still be with his mom, he'd be safer with her. He was sure Gabe would've been taken out soon anyways, and Nico had seen how close Sally and Percy were. It physically hurt him to see them be torn apart. After losing Bianca, Nico didn't want anyone to feel the way he had, and still did. But he'd torn Percy from his mother, practically forcing him to take care of him. Percy was only 14, he was too young to have to be the stronger, leader-figure and take care of difficult, 11-year-old Nico. Not to mention he was always getting sick and hurt and -

Nico was pulled from his thoughts as Percy tilted his chin up to face him, giving him a reassuring smile.

"But then, I remember that I have you. As bad as things are, they'd be a million times worse alone. But as long as we're together, we can handle anything, alright?"

"As long as we're together," Nico repeated quietly. Percy glanced over at the still-sleeping Grover.

"This camp could be the best thing that's ever happened to us. But even if it doesn't work out; if it does turn out to be a trap, or it isn't really safe, we'll still be okay." He really hoped this turned out well. Safety was a priority. But even if it didn't, he knew they could make it.

"I'll always be here to protect you."

In a split second decision, he leaned forward and kissed Nico on the forehead. It was quick, and impulsive, and Percy wasn't really sure what it meant.

Was it a parental-type kiss? A sibling kiss? Or something else entirely? Percy didn't know.

But he did know one thing. He couldn't live without Nico, and that small kiss was a promise. A promise that he would always be there for him.

The moment passed, and Percy stood, sudden doubt rushing through him. He busied himself with packing up the blanket into the backpack, hoping he hadn't made a mistake. But he was good at hiding his feelings, and quickly reverted to his casual demeanor, his easy-going personality taking over his torrent of emotions.

"C'mon, we're burnin' daylight! Grover, wake up!" He nudged the satyr with his shoe. "Let's get moving, goat boy!"

 _"Food….!"_ Grover murmured blearily.

Percy's stomach growled suddenly. He remembered they hadn't eaten since the day before yesterday.

"Oh, right. Good idea. We should find something to eat." He knit his brows together, digging through the pack only to find a few crumpled ones.

"Damn, I never got my paycheck…" He shook Grover awake. "Come _on!_ We've got to get some fuel in our tanks." The dollars could buy some snack bars, maybe, but it wouldn't keep them going for long. They were both underweight, but Nico's condition was growing dire. He wasn't sure how much longer he could handle without a meal. Just making it to tomorrow without passing out seemed improbable.

Percy felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, realizing what they'd have to do. Pushing his conscious aside, he looked over at Nico and grinned.

"Hey Nico, you up for some fishing?"

Nico looked up quickly, smirking slyly.

"Oh, definitely." He slipped his hand into Percy's and they walked out of the warehouse. Nico had almost forgotten about Grover until he saw the hand reaching to tap Percy on the shoulder. He shot Grover a glare, daring the satyr to touch the older boy, and he cringed.

"I-I just - you guys are going to…steal?"

Percy met his gaze and nodded slowly.

"Unfortunately, yes. When things get difficult, you can always find a pocket to pick in the big city." He didn't enjoy stealing, but it was necessary. "Unless you happen to have some cash on hand? Or, hoof?"

Grover's face flushed and he shook his head quickly.

"Um, no… not really…"

"Alright then." Percy scanned the streets, which were gradually filling with people. "And don't worry, we never take much from one person, and we like to hit the people who look like they should be taken down a peg." He smiled faintly, recalling the times he and Nico had robbed rude, inconsiderate busybodies. Stealing wasn't fun, but it sure taught a lesson in humility.

"Believe me, I'd beg if I could, but no one in this city gives a damn about the less fortunate." Percy spoke from bitter experience. He turned to Nico, squeezing his hand slightly. Nico tore his eyes away from Grover, and he blinked to soften his cold gaze.

"Alright, since I'm already in uniform, let's pull the old 'I'm running late for work' bit. I'll find some suit to crash into. While I keep his attention, you relieve him of some extra cash. Businessmen usually keep some cash on them for the cab drivers." He knew this would run smoothly, they'd done it hundreds of times.

Percy was a pretty convincing actor, and Nico was like a ghost. He moved so quietly that he could probably sneak up on a field mouse in a cornfield, whatever that meant.

"Sounds good."

Grover still seemed uncomfortable, but he nodded.

"A-alright, just do what you have to do." The satyr mumbled. "I'll go find a can to munch on…" Nico made sure to lock eyes with him once more. He swore to the gods, if Grover turned out to be a monster or traitor, or hurt Percy in _any way_ , Nico would have his sword through his chest before he could start stuttering.

With a slight squeak, Grover disappeared around the corner, hooves clicking against the pavement as he stumbled around. Nico felt slightly proud of himself, if not just for being strong enough to scare someone like that. He cringed slightly when he actually listened to his own thoughts - and they scared him. He'd been hurt and terrified for so long, he didn't want _anyone_ to feel the way he had. Yet here he was, gushing over the fact that he'd made an already-paranoid boy scared enough to run away like that.

Part of him doubted the satyr would return.

Percy stashed his backpack behind a dumpster; it practically screamed 'homeless.' He turned to the younger boy, nodding solemnly.

"Okay, get ready."

Nico kept his head bowed, looking at the older boy's hand still clasped in his own and ran his thumb over the back of his hand. He closed his eyes for a minute and took a breath. "Percy, I -"

He stopped himself before he could continue and sighed.

"I guess we should get going." Percy smiled reassuringly.

"Yeah, let's do this." He scanned the streets quickly before locating his target: a well-dressed man talking on his cell phone. He was walking in a way that said 'Move it or lose it, time is money'. The man had a permanent scowl on his face and a bad habit of rudely brushing past anyone walking too slow for him.

Oh, yes, he'd do perfectly.

"Twelve o'clock, you see him?" Percy pointed out the businessman. "Here goes nothing." He let go of Nico's hand and began to run, his steps quick and light. He built up speed, but no one seemed alarmed. Several others were rushing about themselves, all trying to get where they needed to go as quickly as possible.

He reached his target and crashed into him spectacularly, sending them both to the ground. Percy scraped his elbow on the asphalt and the businessman landed unfortunately in a puddle. The cell phone went flying from his hands, the man's face going slack with anger.

"Oh my god!" Percy exclaimed convincingly, scrambling to his feet and helping the man up. "I'm so, _so_ sorry, mister, I didn't mean to-"

"Didn't mean to?!" The man growled. "Do you know how much this suit costs? More than you'll make in ten years working at…" He peered at Percy's uniform and wrinkled his nose distastefully.

 _"Burger King."_ He spat. "This is why I don't eat fast food. I don't know how anyone can eat at a place that'd hire the likes of _you!"_

Percy flinched. His words stung, but he was used to it. He had to put on an act, and getting angry wouldn't help. He let his eyes widen and fill with fear, maybe even a few tears.

"I-I'm sorry!" He stammered, his voice cracking. "I'm l-late for w-work, and I r-really need this job! I'm s-sorry!" Maybe he was laying it on a little thick, but the meathead was soaking it up like a sponge.

"You'd better be! Do you even know who I am, boy?" The man puffed up his chest, like he hadn't been sitting in a filthy puddle seconds earlier. "I have connections, kid, connections that could ruin your pathetic excuse for a life."

"Please, I-I didn't m-mean to…" Out of the corner of his eye, Percy could see Nico's retreating form. He was finished, now he'd have to make his exit soon.

"Well, that's great, but someone has to pay for my suit. You obviously can't afford it… perhaps I should let the police handle it?" A real jolt of fear shot through Percy.

"No, please, I can't go to prison!" As he spoke, he backed away ever so slightly, ready to take his leave. He'd had enough of this stupid-

Suddenly the man was right in his face, his arm sliding around Percy's shoulders.

"Perhaps we'll have to make some... _other_ arrangement…" He purred, his voice low and sultry.

Percy jerked away and bolted, his heart hammering in his chest as the man began to laugh behind him. He reached the alley where Nico was waiting and grabbed their backpack, taking Nico by the arm and pulling him in the direction Grover had gone, the man's crude laughter ringing in his ears.

Finally, he found Grover and came to a stop, letting go of Nico and leaning against a wall, breathing heavily. Grover studied them, holding an empty can covered in what looked like bite marks.

"Hey, you guys are back." He observed. "Get what you needed?" Percy glanced over at Nico, his heart rate still returning to normal.

"Yeah, Nico, any luck?"

"What? Oh, uh, yeah, I got his wallet," he held up the purse, a proud little smile tugging at his lips. "He's got nearly 40 bucks in this thing, can you believe that?" Percy raised his eyebrows and whistled.

"Wow, that's crazy." He agreed, a smile tugging at his lips. "Nicely done." He noticed Grover frown slightly, but the satyr remained silent. Nico didn't care; for now, they just _had_ to get something to eat. He was about to pass out from hunger. He turned near-desperate eyes to Percy and just blurted out, "Food?"

"Definitely." He replied, his own stomach growling. "I think there's a breakfast diner about a block from here. Pancakes sound really good right now." Nico couldn't help but smile as he sighed in relief.

"Great," he said, pulling the backpack from Percy and stuffing the wallet in the small pocket so it would be safe. He then pulled the bag onto his own shoulders so Percy wouldn't have to carry it - he knew something was wrong so he decided to cut the older boy as much slack as possible. As they started walking, Nico stood purposefully close to the older boy, glancing up at him and offering a small smile. After a little while he took his hand like he always did, staying silent until they reached the diner.


	5. Cartwheels and Catcalls

Almost three weeks later, the trio had almost reached New Jersey. They were almost out of money, ran out of food days ago but neither Nico nor Percy, really cared.

It was night and Nico was getting some long-needed rest, leaning against Percy who was leaning against the wall. Grover was sprawled on the floor a couple feet away, using their backpack as a pillow. Nico woke up to the sound of scraping on concrete, reflexes kicking in as always. He nudged Percy.

"Percy," he hissed, keeping his eyes focused in the direction of the sound. "P-Percy, something's out there…."

The older boy jumped slightly when there was another noise followed by hissing, eyes flying open and darting around. It took him a moment for his vision to adjust, but Nico's expression quickly filled him in on the situation. He nodded slowly at him, moving into a crouching position, his hand inching towards Riptide as he listened intently.

 _Clop-thud-clop-thud-clop-thud._

It sounded like… hooves? And something metal…

 _Clop-thud-clop-thud_ _._ Pause. Then a low hiss.

 _Clop-thud-clop-thud_ - _click-clack-click-clack-click-clack._

Now it was… high-heels? Eyebrows furrowing, Percy slowly rose to his feet, pen in hand. He glanced around, debating whether or not to try and wake up Grover. The satyr had helped them out of plenty of sticky situations, but he could sleep pretty heavily…

Suddenly Grover's eyes flew open and he sat up, sniffing the air. He turned to the two and mouthed the word _'monsters.'_

Percy could hear them getting closer. He took a deep breath, looking over at Nico and nodding grimly.

They were just around the corner.

He uncapped his sword and charged forward to see….

Two cheerleaders?

He stopped, letting his sword arm drop to his side as he took a couple steps back, staring at the girls.

Two _very pretty_ cheerleaders.

"Um… hi?" He held his sword tightly, muscles tense as his narrowed eyes studied the girls further. One was an African American with curly hair and the other was a blonde with ice blue eyes.

"Hello! I'm Tammi!" The blonde waved her fingers at the trio, smiling.

"I'm Kelli." The other girl beamed. "Are you guys, like, lost or something?"

Percy blinked. They were beautiful. His mind was swimming from just looking at them. He shook his head to clear the fog, a small part of him hearing alarm bells go off.

"No, uh… we're…" He struggled to remember. "Um, tourists?"

They both laughed beautifully, sounding like music. His mind was growing fuzzy, his vision as well. He heard Grover whimper behind him.

"Aw, they're so adorable!" Kelli gushed. "Couldn't you just eat them up?"

"Totally!" Tammi agreed, an odd gleam in her piercing eyes.

Percy felt like he should do something, but he couldn't seem to move. It was like he was in quicksand, unable to control his limbs.

"In fact…." Kelli's smile turned into a snarl. "I think I might do just that."

Her eyes flashed red, her skin draining of all color. Kelli's hair exploded into flames, her legs changing; one into a donkey leg and the other into a bronze prosthetic.  
Kelli the demonic cheerleader bared her fangs.

"I'll take the cute one!" She glared daggers at Percy as Tammi transformed as well.

"You think I'm cute?" was all Percy could say before Kelli lunged for him. Nico barely managed to get over his shock and confusion in time to swing his sword.  
The girl exploded into dust with a wail while her friend gasped, turning to glare at Nico, who shot a desperate glance over at Percy when Tami's claws grew and her eyes glowed brighter with rage. But the older boy was still ogling, almost drooling. Cursing under his breath, Nico shoved him aside as Tammi lunged at him, fangs bared.

"Percy, snap out of it!" He cried as he forced the girl back. "She - she's not even pretty! Look at her, she's a monster!" The demon-girl wailed in rage and Nico didn't even have time to turn around before a claw was digging into his chest. He cried out, but yelled when he saw Tammi charge at Percy. With newfound energy, he sliced the girl in two. Percy staggered backward as Tammi burst into flames, the spell breaking.

Now exhausted, Nico stumbled into the wall, breathing heavily. He put a hand on his bleeding chest and glared up at Percy. Between gasps, he growled, "You…owe…me…"

Percy just blinked, brows knitting together as he tried to process what just happened.

"Ah, man, what just….?" His head felt weird, like he'd gotten water up his nose. "Nico…? What.." Then he saw the blood on his shirt and reality came crashing down on him. "Oh crap!" He rushed over to his friend, heart racing.

"Oh gods, Nico, I'm sorry! I-I don't know what came over me, I just…. I'm so sorry…." A wave of guilt rushed through him as he took Nico's elbow to help him sit. He could've _died_. He could've died, all because some pretty girls batted their eyelashes at them. Some friend he was…

"Grover, do we have anything in the backpack?" He was struggling to keep his tone steady. The wound wasn't too deep, but it was bleeding pretty badly and looked pretty painful.

"N-no bandages.." The satyr reported nervously. "Or medicine."

Percy cursed. This was all his fault.

He grabbed the backpack and dug out his old t-shirt, thankful he hadn't thrown it away. He began tearing the tattered clothing into strips for a makeshift bandage, hoping it would be enough.

"Those were empousai." Grover fidgeted anxiously. "They… they usually don't work on their own."

"Then we need to get moving." Percy responded, slinging the pack over his shoulder. "Can you walk alright?" He asked, swallowing his feelings of shame, guilt, and failure in favor of getting Nico to safety. He just shot a glare at Percy and spit out some blood without breaking eye contact. He huffed and grumbled, "Yeah, just help me up."  
Percy did as he was told without responding.

Nico was still angry, and he had every right to be. That was one of the worst feelings in the world, but Percy knew he deserved it. He couldn't dwell on it now, though; he had to be more alert from now on, more prepared. He had to get Nico to the camp safely. Grover said they were close.

"Have you guys fought empousai before?" The satyr asked, taking lead of the trio since he knew where to go.

"No. Is it that obvious?" Percy was wavering between sticking close to Nico and giving him some space. He was hurt, and if he fell Percy needed to be there for him, but on the other hand Nico probably didn't want to be around him. He settled for staying close enough to help if something happened, but not so close that they were touching.

"Well, it's not that _exactly…"_ The satyr elaborated. "But uh, I just thought you should know that empousai can put men under a kind of spell."

Frowning, Percy shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah, I know…" He mumbled.

"No, I mean a literal spell." Grover said. "Like a trance."

"Aren't those sirens or something?" He asked, brows furrowing.

"No, see, sirens can put anyone, regardless of gender, in a trance. Their song can show whoever's listening their greatest desire, and they use that to get close enough to strike." The satyr explained. "Empousai are kind of like vampires. They use their charms to… well, uh.." He coughed. " _Seduce_ men, so to speak, a-and then they feast on their blood." Grover looked back at Percy.  
"So, it wasn't _really_ your fault." He finished.

"Yes, it was." Percy replied quickly. "You and Nico weren't affected. I was. That makes it my fault."

"No, Percy, I'm a satyr. I'm male, but I'm not...a man, per say." Grover countered.

"Well, what about Nico, then?"

"Nico's fourteen, Percy. Maybe there's an age limit?"

Percy glanced away, still not convinced.

"Whatever… how close are we?"

"Um.. maybe an hour, on foot…"

"Good."

The sooner Nico was safe, the better.

Nico was _so tired_. His head started to hang, eyes drooping as the two older boys conversed about…he didn't even know what they were talking about anymore. He just wanted to curl up and sleep. He almost wanted Percy to carry him, like he used to, but he knew he was way too old for that now. That had gone on for too long. Still, even though Nico still wanted to be upset with Percy he found himself leaning into the boy's touch, already starting to tuck himself into his side like he did at night. He blinked and straightened up a bit when he heard his name,

"Wha- huh...?" he looked around, trying to orient himself. Percy and Grover continued talking as if they hadn't heard him, which they probably hadn't.

"Um…maybe an hour, on foot…" he heard Grover saying. He heard Percy respond and looked up at him. An hour? Ugh. Nico just wanted to curl up and sleep _now_ , not have to walk for another hour until they reached their certain doom. How did they know this _camp,_ this 'safe haven' was even safe? They still hardly knew Grover, still barely knew anything about camp except for an almost-monster's promise that it was safe. Nico wasn't feeling too safe right then.

He blinked groggily a few times, still tired from his abrupt wake-up. He hated how weak he was, how he got hurt so often. It wasn't even that - it was just that they didn't have time to recover in between attacks- that was what the problem was. But Nico didn't dare bring up his sickness, injuries, or pain with Percy unless the older boy noticed himself, gods know he had enough to worry about already.

Nico tugged lightly on Percy's arm and mumbled, "Can we go? I-I'm tired."

Percy looked down at Nico, slightly surprised and greatly worried.

"Yeah, c'mon." He could plainly see the fatigue on Nico's face, and knew that expecting him to walk for an hour was impractical. "Hey, Grover, any chance we could take a bus or something instead of walking?" Percy knew they didn't have much money, but they at least enough for the bus.

"Uh, yeah, the camp's sort of in the 'country' so we can take a bus to the edge of the city." Grover speculated. "Then it's just a five or ten-minute walk."

"Alright, that's good. That's...do-able." Percy nodded slowly. "Let's do that. There's a bus stop down the block." He pulled some loose dollars out of the backpack.

Percy glanced down at Nico again, and the bleeding wound on his chest.

"Might wanna zip up your jacket. Don't want to scare the mortals." He said. "You can lean on me, if you want." Percy added as they began walking towards the bus stop down the block.

Grumbling, Nico zipped up his jacket.

"Percy?" Nico asked quietly, hesitantly. He looked up at the other with sad, tired eyes. He looked down and pursed his lips. "I just…thank you. F-for everything." he looked back up at Percy, worried and kind of aggravated that he couldn't express his thankfulness enough. "Really."

Nico looked down again, staring at his shoes as they continued walking. When he glanced up again, he found both Percy and Grover staring at him. He drew himself back a bit, frowning. He avoided Percy's gaze completely, but scowled at Grover, who looked away quickly, finally getting the message and he hurried ahead to give them some space.

"Sorry," Nico mumbled, letting go of Percy's hand. He'd try to stop depending on Percy so much - the poor guy needed a break. Nico was a burden. That's all - just a burden…

Percy was too surprised to speak. He thought Nico was still upset with him. Hell, he should be furious. In a moment of weakness, Percy had almost cost them all their lives. But here they were, and Nico was apologizing to him.

"Nico…" Percy's fingers closed of their own accord as the smaller boy slipped away, like he was trying to hold on to smoke. "Nico, you don't have to apologize. I…What I've done, the choices I've made - I don't regret them. I never have and I never will."  
Yes, Percy missed his mom, but deep down he'd always known he couldn't afford a normal life. Besides, he'd kept in contact with her. She was doing much better. She'd even gotten married to some professor who treated her better than Gabe ever did.

"I want to be here with you, Nico." Percy told him honestly. "I promise that will never change." He took Nico's small, cold hand in his own and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Now let's get on that bus. My toes feel like popsicles." Percy kept gentle hold of Nico's hand as they walked, wanting to reassure the younger boy that he wasn't going anywhere.

When they reached the bus stop, an old Greyhound bus had already pulled up. Grover was waiting expectantly, looking relieved at the sight of the duo.

"S-see? I told you they'd b-be here!" He told the bus driver.

The man driving the bus studied Percy and Nico, raising one eyebrow at their condition. But Percy held out the rest of their money; enough for their tolls and a nice tip.

"Just get on. I'm on a schedule." He grumbled.

The trio clamored onto the bus, which was mostly empty. Percy practically fell into his seat, tucking his arm protectively around Nico, who, like it was an instinct, scooted closer into his side and pulled the arm around him more. He was out the second his eyelids touched.

"Try and get some rest." Percy murmured, his own eyelids heavy. "We'll be there soon."

He must've nodded off at some point, because he woke up to Grover shaking his arm.

"H-hey guys, this is our stop." He told them, smiling nervously. "We s-should hurry, there might be _unfriendlies."_

Percy sat up, instantly alert. Unfriendlies was their code word for monsters, which meant that Grover must smell something.

"Nico…" He gently shook the other boy, who groaned and tried to press himself deeper into Percy's side. "C'mon, we're in the home stretch." He helped the injured boy off the bus, smiling thankfully at the driver, who just grunted in response.

The Greyhound bus drove away, leaving the trio on the side of a dusty dirt road surrounded by green hills and woods. It might have been a scenic countryside by day, but at night their surroundings looked sinister.

"Okay, Grover, which way to camp?" Percy kept one arm supportively around Nico and the other one around his pen sword.

Grover pointed up a hillside.

"There. A short walk, a-and we'll be at the borders." He glanced around quickly. "Let's just hurry."

"Agreed." Percy helped Nico up the hill, really hoping their efforts hadn't been for naught. There was always a bit of doubt clawing at the back of his mind, but his desire for safety had overpowered it. "We're almost there, Nico." He murmured, unsure whether he was even fully conscious. "Just hang in there."

They reached the top of the hill, and Percy could see a cluster of buildings in the distance. They just had to climb one more hill and they'd be there.  
Then he saw something at the top of the hill and frowned, peering into the darkness.

"Hey Grover, what's that up there?" He asked.

"Thalia's Pine." The satyr answered, his voice suddenly solemn. "Just a tree."

Percy narrowed his eyes. Trees weren't supposed to move.

"No, next to the tree."

Grover followed his gaze, squinting. The satyr's eyes widened in horror.

"What in Hades is _that?"_


	6. The Psychotic Matador

Nico's eyes opened groggily, just barely able to make out the blurry shape of Grover next to him. He was really in worse shape than he thought.

Suddenly the earth was shaking, vibrating beneath his feet as something pounded down the hill. He forced his eyes to focus, and they immediately widened when he saw the creature charging towards them. It was, what looked like a bull…standing upright, barreling towards them. Nico had never seen a bull look like that - then again, he'd never really seen an actual bull, but that didn't matter at the moment.

This creature had horns and hooves and all, yet it had arms and muscles. It was…half man and half bull.

 _And it was charging right at them._

Nico gripped Percy's arm, pulling on it a bit to make sure he was seeing. As the monster got closer, the earth shook more, until it finally crashed into the trio, sending them flying in all directions.

Percy landed hard on his back, pain shooting through his limbs. With a groan, he took a few shaky breaths before he could roll back onto his feet. The bull-creature's red eyes bore into him as it pawed the ground with its hoof, snorting.

He rose to his feet in challenge, uncapping Riptide. The pen grew into three feet of sharp, glowing bronze. The bull took half a step back at the sight of the sword, its ears pinned flat against its broad skull.

Sword in hand, Percy charged the monster, running on adrenaline alone. He was determined to get Nico to that camp, even if he had to go through this beast to do it.

His first strike caught the monster across the midsection, but it was like hitting a brick wall. The blade barely cut into its flesh, and Percy's shoulder felt like it had popped from its socket. He took that to realize that slashing wouldn't help; he'd have to find a weak spot and stab.

With an enraged roar, the beast swung at him, its massive arm like a tree trunk. It hit him squarely in the gut, forcing all the air out of his lungs in a strangled gasp.  
He went flying backward, hitting the ground hard and struggling to get back up. The ground was shaking as the bull charged. Percy looked up, expecting to see the monster bearing down on him, but it was charging in a different direction.

But why would it be-

 _"PERCY!"_

 _Nico._

Percy forced himself to his feet and broke into a run. His muscles were screaming in protest, but he refused to give up. The monster was huge, but it was so big it took a while to build up speed. Percy could catch him. He had to.

With a mad battle cry, he tackled the beast like a psychotic matador, knocking it off course. The bull veered off to the left, taking the demigod with it. It was like horseback riding during an earthquake, which Percy had never done, but he certainly believed that this is what it would feel like.

Bellowing, the creature skidded to a halt and tried to shake him off. Percy had ridden a mechanical bull once, but this was a hundred times worse.

Since he was on its back, he was in the perfect position to stab it in the neck, but it was thrashing too violently for him to even think about raising his sword.

If it would stop moving for just _one second…_

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Nico pulling back his arm and chucking a rock right at them.

The smaller boy cringed as it flew, only realizing it might hit Percy after he had already thrown it. He was weak, yet somehow managed to hit the monster in the face hard enough to make it stumble, just as Percy's fingers started to slip. It roared so loudly the earth shook, knocking Nico over again.

Percy secured his hold on the beast as it stumbled. It glanced around wildly, searching for what had struck it, flinging the demigod around like a rag doll. But he held on, sword held tight in wait.

The bull-man was now looking around angrily, trying to find what had hit him. It let out an enraged roar that made Percy's teeth chatter. The noise was deafening. The monster spotted Nico, who was trying pathetically to drag Grover and himself away, but looked like he was struggling to figure out which way was up. Its muscles tensed in preparation to charge; that's when Percy struck.

He drove his sword into the bull's neck, right above its shoulder blades. It lurched forward, nearly throwing him off again. Wailing, the monster stumbled to the ground and exploded into dust.

Percy fell lightly to the ground, his ears still ringing. He ran over to Nico, who's eyes widened in horror when he saw the blood running from his friend's ear.

He tried to say "It's gonna be okay", but he couldn't hear himself. Hearing loss, hopefully temporary. He pulled Nico and began to half drag, half carry him up the hill. He also spotted Grover, who seemed to have been knocked unconscious.

Dropping his sword, which he knew would return to his pocket, he grabbed Grover and dragged him along as well.

His breathing was coming in strange wheezes. Every limb ached, and while Nico's feet scrabbled at the ground to find friction so he could help hold himself up, each step took more and more effort. But he grit his teeth and continued climbing up the hill towards the pine tree, Thalia's Pine. He tried calling out for help, unsure if any noise actually came out of his mouth. If the camp was as close as Grover said it was, then surely someone must have heard them.

When he finally reached the peak of the hill, he saw what could only be the camp. Through his blurry vision, he could see figures running up to meet them. Nico shouted as Percy's knees buckled and he fell down the hill. He wasn't strong enough to stop the fall, and the trio landed in a crumpled pile at the foot of the hill.

A small crowd of people gathered around them, their faces swimming in and out of Percy's focus.

"What in Hades-"

"-hear that monster?-"

"Who are they?"

"-look pretty hurt…"

"Get them to the infirmary!"

Nico was leaning over his chest, barely able to hold himself up as he screamed Percy's name. He shook his shoulders, shouting into his deadpanned face, tears streaming down his cheeks when he didn't get a response from the unconscious boy. He couldn't even tell if he was still breathing.

Then hands were pulling him away from Percy, away from the only person he had, the only person who cared about him, loved him, protected him. And they were trying to take him away.

"No! Let- let me go! Stop it! _PERCY!"_


	7. From Feral to Formal

Percy's eyes opened slowly, the sea green orbs staring blankly at a wooden ceiling.

He remained motionless, attempting to get a bearing on his situation. His midsection was aching; he felt like he'd been run over by a steamroller. His throat was sore, and it hurt to breathe. But he focused on his breaths, trying to clear up the fog in his mind. He listed what he knew:

Grover, Nico, and himself had been going… somewhere. A monster attacked. Grover and Nico took the worst- they were unconscious. Percy killed it. He'd passed out and woke up in a bed-

He sat up with a jolt. He hadn't slept in a bed in years.

 _Where was he?_

He looked around what appeared to be some sort of sick bay. Several beds were laid in a row, fitted with white sheets. He seemed to be the only one in this room. Looking down at himself, Percy realized he was covered in bandages and wearing a bright orange T-shirt reading _Camp Half Blood_ across the chest.

 _Camp._

So this was the camp Grover had been talking about.

A door opened and a girl around Percy's age walked in. She was tall and muscular, with curly blonde hair and piercing gray eyes. She wore a shirt identical to Percy's, and jean shorts with a bronze dagger at her hip.

The boy stared at her as she sat down on the bed across from him.

"Hello," she said.

"Hi," he answered.

"I'm Annabeth," she introduced herself quickly, not bothering with small talk. "You've made quite the first impression, slaying the Minotaur and all."

Percy remained silent, the memories flooding back to him. He must have made quite the sight, stumbling blindly into camp in a torn, bloody Burger King uniform with an unconscious satyr and Nico in tow.

"Nico." He said. It wasn't a question.

"That boy you came with? He's in the other room." She explained. "You both were pretty beat up. You had a few broken ribs."

"Had?" Percy's ribcage still hurt like crazy, but it definitely wasn't broken.

"We fixed it. It's only bruised now." Annabeth studied him. "Aside from that, you were malnourished, half-deaf, dehydrated, and exhausted."

"Tell me something I don't know." He was struggling to wrap his mind around everything. How had they healed him so quickly? He was about to ask just this, when he heard it.

"No! No! PERCY!"

By the last syllable, he was already out of bed and running towards the door. He didn't listen to Annabeth, who yelled for him to stop, nor the little voice in the back of his mind telling him that he shouldn't be doing this. That he was hurt, and Nico was hurt, and they both needed to rest. That going in there might escalate the situation even further.

All of a sudden there were three pairs of hands holding him back, and voices in his ear trying to calm him down.

"Let me go!" Percy struggled, but it was no use. He wasn't in any condition to fight back.

"You should listen to him, Annabeth." Grover appeared in the doorway, looking fine minus a bandage around his head. He had ditched his human disguise, wearing nothing but a Camp Halfblood T-shirt and his cap. "I've been with them a while...they need to see each other."

Annabeth looked from Grover to Percy, who was breathing heavily, his eyes wild as he listened to Nico scream and call for him desperately.

"Please, just… let me see him." He pleaded, his voice cracking.

After a couple seconds, Annabeth nodded at the campers holding him back, and they released him. Without wasting a second, he was through the door separating the two rooms. There were a few campers surrounding Nico, who was struggling to get out of the cot into which he'd been put. The campers were trying unsuccessfully to calm him and, alarmed, gaped at Percy when he burst in, but Annabeth shook her head.

In a daze, Percy waded through the campers to Nico, collapsing by his side.

"It's okay, Nico, I-I'm here." His words were muffled as he buried his face in his friend's shirt. "I'm here. It's okay. Everything's okay."

He sounded just as broken and exhausted as Nico felt. Percy could feel the boy grasping at his shoulders and gripping his face, as if he were trying to make sure he was really there.

"Percy," Nico breathed shakily, tears stinging his eyes. "I-I thought you were dead...never scare me like that again."

Percy took his hands in his own, smiling tiredly despite the scare he'd just had.

"Don't worry, I won't," he promised, voice shaky. "I won't leave you. It'll take more than an overgrown hamburger to take me down." He just wanted to wrap his arms around Nico, but the boy's chest was heavily bandaged and he didn't want to hurt him further. "How are you feeling? Are you okay?" He glanced at the campers, who seemed frozen. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Yes." Annabeth was the only one who answered, seemingly unfazed by this emotional reunion. "It was a nasty gash, but it's probably closed by now. Both of you should be as good as new by tomorrow if you rest."

Percy inhaled slowly, still mystified at how they had been healed so quickly.

"Okay, thanks. Thank you." He tousled Nico's hair affectionately, but he hadn't let go of Percy or even loosened his grip. If anything he just clung to him tighter. Nico couldn't help but smile when Percy did, though he didn't fully believe that they'd be okay.  
When were they ever okay? Since when did they have the good fortune, or even the good karma to get to this seemingly perfect oasis of safety? It just didn't seem right.

Percy clearly didn't care about that; he was so desperate for some sense of relief he instantly accepted that they'd be safe now.

"Hear that? We're going to be okay!" He was just so relieved to see Nico that nothing else seemed to matter, not even when he realized that many of the campers were watching them with odd expressions.

"Alright, everyone. Show's over." Annabeth began to clear the campers out. She glanced at Nico and Percy. "You two should rest. Once you're better, you'll need to see the camp director."

The way she said it sounded ominous, but Percy couldn't care less. He felt like he could take on a whole herd of Minotaurs.

"Okay, but I'm not leaving this room," he said firmly, tightening his grip on Nico when he felt him stiffen slightly. While the younger boy didn't want to look weak in front of all these new people, he cut himself some slack considering the situation.  
But he was frowning at Annabeth, and the way she and the other campers were looking at them. He tugged on Percy's shirt lightly.

"W-why is she looking at us like that?" he whispered fearfully. He could practically feel her eyes boring into his back and he couldn't help but wonder if the 'campers' might be monsters. Those cheerleaders from before hadn't looked like monsters; they'd looked like normal girls. Maybe Percy didn't see it because they'd put a spell over him again? No: he couldn't have another hypnotized Percy drooling over girls.

The longer Nico watched, the more _monster_ he could see in these kids. Long fingernails morphed into talons, braces turning into fangs. As the camper came closer, he turned around and grasped Percy's shirt desperately.

"P-Percy, y-you have to listen to me." His voice was hushed and urgent. "T-they're monsters, Percy! Just like before- they're gonna k-kill us, you-" just then, the camper put a hand on Nico's shoulder and started to pull him away from Percy.

Nico jerked away, a shout escaping his lips as he violently shoved the camper away from him.

Percy realized what was happening too late, and protectively pulled his friend close before he could hurt himself. The wound on his chest had begun to bleed again with his writhing as he struggled against the older boy holding him tight, and Percy looked up at the campers watching in shock, his eyes narrowed.

 _"Get out."_

"Percy," Annabeth started, "Please, let us help, he's bleeding-"

"I said, _get out!_ " Percy hissed. "Don't you see? This is too much. I-I never should have brought him here." He broke off, his eyes shut tightly. He couldn't break down now- Nico needed him.

"You heard him, everyone out."

Feet shuffled on wooden floorboards as people who shouldn't have been there in the first place left. The door clicked shut, and Percy and Nico were alone.

"Nico?" He wasn't sure if Nico could hear him or not. "Nico, it's okay. It's Percy. We're safe. There aren't any monsters here, I promise." He should have told them not to overwhelm Nico. He'd been through so much already, and he was still so young…

"Please, Nico...please..."

But once Nico was responsive, he just started panicking again. He turned fear-filled eyes to Percy as he looked over him frantically, searching for any wounds. He caught sight of the blood smeared on the other's shirt, and his heart practically leapt from his chest.

"Percy! Y-you…the monsters…" He trailed off as he saw that they were alone in the room and he took a minute to regain a sense of his surroundings. Percy was holding him close, sitting on the floor by the bed. They were completely alone, the only sound was Percy's quiet murmurs of comfort.

No monsters. Just Percy.

Nico started shaking until finally, he broke. He hunched over, holding his face in his hands as he kept shaking his head over and over.

Percy just held Nico, gently rubbing his back like he used to when they were younger.

"It's okay. There aren't any monsters here," he soothed gently, "do you remember what Grover told us? The borders are magic, so monsters can't get in. We don't have to worry about them anymore."

He made sure his voice wasn't condescending. Nico had every right to be worried; paranoid, even, about the threat of monsters. He just wanted him to know that they were safe.

"They can heal us here, and you won't be sick anymore. You won't ever go hungry again, either. No more begging or stealing to make ends meet. We'll be safe and healthy, and we'll stay together." He still couldn't believe they'd had the good luck to find this place. Whether or not they stayed here permanently, he was convinced that this would be good for them.

"We don't have to stay here forever, though, if you don't want to." He said softly. "If you want, we can leave after we're better. There's no pressure to make a choice now."

Nico kept shaking his head as Percy talked because he knew it wasn't true. There was no way that they were really safe. Things couldn't just be perfect, they couldn't just get healed and eat and live here and everything would be fine. No. That wasn't possible.

After everything that they'd been through, why were things suddenly turned around? After everything that they'd endured, it couldn't all be over - it couldn't all be for nothing, just at the drop of a hat.

This couldn't be right.

"No!" He couldn't do this. It wasn't fair to Percy. For the past three years, all Nico had done was cause more problems, stress, and work for Percy. He couldn't ask him to leave the one place he believed was safe, just because he didn't like it. He couldn't keep doing this to him.

He shook his head into Percy's chest, shaking with tears he refused to let flow. "No…I-I'm sorry…"

 _Dammit._

Last time Nico had ignored his instincts, Percy had ended up with a broken arm from a monster disguised as a mailman. But now, when he followed his instincts, _this_ mess was the result. He felt like a fool. Like a child. Why was he so paranoid all of a sudden? He'd been fine dealing with monsters and waking up with Percy for years, but all of a sudden he just snaps? It didn't make sense. But, admittedly, Nico wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"Hey, it's okay." Percy wrapped his arms around Nico gently. He desperately wanted this all to work out. He didn't want to go back to the life they had before, the life where he had to watch Nico get hurt and sick and go hungry and freeze out on the streets with nothing he could do about it.

"I'm with you, okay?" He could sense Nico had calmed down a bit, but they were both wrecks. "One of the campers, Annabeth...she said we should go talk to their camp director. We can see if this place is legit. And if it is, we can go check out the camp, see if we want to stay."

They had a plan- that was good. Percy felt a little less helpless with something to do. The door cracked open and Grover peeked in, his eyes full of nothing but concern.

"Uhm, hey guys, a-are you okay?"

While Nico used to be suspicious of the satyr, now he was the only one they knew and could trust at this place, so he nodded tiredly and sniffed again. Grover shifted nervously, motioning outside.

"Uh, Chiron wanted to see you," he said awkwardly, glancing behind him. "I can show you guys to the big house?" Nico glanced at Percy and sighed defeatedly. It just wouldn't be fair to Percy - it would be cruel to take him away from this place, to take away the safety he might finally have.

So he nodded to Grover and stood up, using the bed to pull himself up. Percy stood up quickly, holding out a hand hesitantly in case Nico was unsteady. That just got him a glare and a few half-hearted grumbled insults that made Percy snort. _That_ was the Nico he knew.

"Ready?" Grover asked them and Percy nodded, then looked to Nico. He squeezed his hand gently.

"Ready?"  
Nico nodded.

"Ready."


End file.
